


8 Seconds

by Dark_Jonerys



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Sports, Bull Riding, Cluelessness, Country & Western, Cowboy Up, Dany's dragons are bulls, F/M, Flirting, Jealous Missandei, Jealousy, Jon Snow POV, Jon Snow is Not a Targaryen, Jon is clueless, Lots of men trying to get into Dany's pants, N plus A equals J, No Incest, No beta reader, Smut, Smut is in chapter 8, Unbeta'd, jealous Daenerys, uncle Arthur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2020-04-11 12:26:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 42,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19109638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dark_Jonerys/pseuds/Dark_Jonerys
Summary: Jon wants to be the best bull rider in the WPBR (Westeros Professional Bull Riding).Daenerys Targaryen is a young stock contractor that owns rank bulls. However, three of her bulls stand out from the rest. To Jon Snow, it doesn't matter. He wants to be the best rider and her bulls are just an obstacle in his way.Missandei works as the interviewer for the WPBR and Jon finds her to be such a sweet person.Also, both women have a crush on Jon but he's too clueless to realize it.*Abandoned*





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by my love of the movie '8 Seconds' and my love of Bull Riding.

Pain.

Pain and dirt and blood.

There was a ringing in his ears and he didn’t know where he was. One second, he was trying to keep his balance on a 2,000 pound animal and the next second he was on the dirt floor of the arena. He saw flashes around him as he struggled to keep his eyes wide open, but he could only make out figures through his blurred vision.

-

“Hey kid. Kid.”

He groaned, clutching his head as he tried to sit up too quickly. Damn, his head was pounding. It took a second for his vision to adjust, but he could see the warded off room of the arena. The makeshift beds that served the sports office.

“Jon. Jon, look at me.”

He looked up as the face of the company doctor came into his vision.

Donald Luwin. Doctor Donald Luwin. The Sports Medicine head of the Westeros Professional Bull Riding Corporation, or the WPBR for short.

“Jon, can you hear me” Luwin asked him softly, stabilizing Jon’s head with a hand.

Jon nodded weakly, his head still pounding as hard as before.

“Say it Jon. I need to know if you still have speech function.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I hear you…”Jon replied just as weak as his nod.

“That’s good. You took a hell of a hit out there, son. Who was the bull again?”

Luwin began to reach for some gauze, using it to wipe the blood trailing from Jon’s temple.

“Crosswired” Jon replied with a groan.

Jon reached for an icepack but Luwin simply smacked his hand away with a tut. He had no option but to wait for Luwin to finish.

“Yeah, that bull’s wires did look to be crossed. Started jumping around in the chute, didn’t he?”

Jon only nodded at that.

“You should’ve just waited for the time to tick down. Judge would’ve given you a shot at another bull.”

“I didn’t want another bull. It was the championship round. I needed a big score to have a chance at winning.”

“And look where that got you. A bloodied skull with a concussion. The only thing you’ll be eating tonight are the remnants of dirt from the floor.”

Jon winced at that. He knew he likely didn’t make the buzzer. 8 seconds. That’s all a rider needed for a qualified ride. 8 seconds to win some money. Make the 8 seconds and you get paid. Fall off before? And you go home empty handed. Tough situation but that’s life. Anyways, it wasn’t about the money. Not a single rider in the business asked the paycheck before the ride. It was all about the thrill. All about the victory. Who was the best rider? Who was the rankest bull?

Bragging rights. That’s what it was all about.

“How long did I last out there, doc?”

Luwin looked at him with pity in his eyes.

“You really want to know?”

Jon nodded as Luwin finally went over to hand him an ice pack for his throbbing head.

“7.51 seconds. Nothing sooner, nothing later. They watched the replay, but I think it was just more to see where it all went wrong. Don’t be too hard on yourself kid. Crosswired has only been ridden…oh I don’t know. I can count the number on one hand, that’s for sure. I think about 4 out of a good 50 odd riders.”

“I could’ve been number 5” he muttered.

Luwin smiled softly as he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“You’re still a man, champ.”

“I ain’t champ yet, doc.”

“You will be. One day.”

“Still haven’t won an event. How the hell am I supposed to be the overall champ?”

“Baby steps, Jon. First, you go on a riding streak. Then, you win your first event. Third, you go on a winning streak. And then, you qualify for the WPBR Finals. After that, it’s only a matter of riding better than everyone else and winning.”

Jon shook his head.

“I don’t want to just win the WPBR Finals. I want to be the overall champion. I don’t want to just be the World Finals champion. I want to be _the_ WPBR World Champion.”

His head began to pound once again, but Jon ignored it as he lost himself in his dreams.

Winning the finals was certainly a crowning achievement for any rider. It was the most grueling challenge for any rider. Perhaps it wasn’t the most demanding physically, but the intensity and pressure of riding in front of 50,000 fans. Every single seat filled as the best riders from Westeros and Essos competed for 6 nights. 7 rounds in total. 7 rides from hell. No man had cleared all 7 rides.

Luwin interrupted him from his thoughts as he spoke up.

“Well, you’re going to need to rest before you run, kid.”

“What am I looking at, doc?”

“Realistically? I’d prefer for you to sit out of the competitions for at least a month. There’s a good chance you’ve been concussed. However, you’re not going to do that, are you?”

Jon shook his head.

“I can’t. Iron Cowboy is in 3 weeks. I haven’t been formally invited. I need to impress Levi’s.”

“Your sponsor, right? I thought you were sponsored by DeWalt too…they aren’t pushing you for a spot? I know they have 10 riders to submit this year.”

Jon shook his head.

“No, I’m sponsored by them by default since Levi’s and DeWalt are partners. But, only Levi’s came to me with a contract after my rookie year last year.” Jon sighed as he applied further pressure on his ice pack. “It would be my luck to be sponsored by the sponsor with the worst showing last year.”

“Yeah, I remember that” Luwin trailed off. “Their riders had a horrid showing last season. They had 10 slots to submit riders for Iron Cowboy. All of them were eliminated in round 1. Only 3 riders made it to round 2 at Last Cowboy Standing. And only 6 of their riders qualified for WPBR Finals. Heavy consequences, I guess, but you can’t bite the hand that feeds you.”

Jon nodded. That was true.

“Alright, doc. I think I’m gonna go head out. And try to see where my ride went wrong…”

Luwin nodded.

“At least take next week off, Jon. You took a nasty wreck. Worst one of the night. Naharis came in after you and left before you woke.”

Jon nodded weakly but ignored the words dully. There was no way in hell that he was missing Stonehelm or Blackhaven. They were the last two routes before the annual Iron Cowboy at Summerhall.

Iron Cowboy was one of the three major events of the WPBR, alongside The WPBR Finals. It was the second most grueling of the three competitions. The qualification for the event was different than other events. Rather than the best 30 riders ranked in the Built Ford Tough Standings (Ford is the sponsor of the WPBR), the sponsors had a certain number of spots that they could fill with riders of their choosing. This year’s sponsors were Levi’s, DeWalt and Monster. Levi’s had 5 spots this year while DeWalt and Monster had 10 spots each. The remaining 5 spots were chosen by Ford themselves.

Last season was Jon’s rookie season, making him ineligible to qualify for Iron Cowboy as he had no sponsor. Of course, if Ford had taken notice of him they could have invited him to one of their five spots, but Ford _always_ chose to sponsor the top 5 riders of the world.

The current top five of the season were Drogo, Naharis, Emmet, Forrester and Martell. In that order.

Jon thought that he might be approached by Monster for a sponsorship, they were the current hot sponsors, and had settled for a sponsorship from DeWalt. He couldn’t believe that only Levi’s wanted to take a shot on him. He was the rookie of the year. He had beaten every other rider from his generation.

Grenn, Pyp, Podrick and even his half-brother, Robb. Yet, they had all received offers from better sponsors. Grenn and Pyp had signed with DeWalt. Robb and Pod signed with Monster. Jon hadn’t even been approached by the two. It was either ride for Levi’s or remain unsponsored.

He was almost to the locker room when he was barreled into by his friend, Grenn, causing the level of discomfort of his head to be dialed to 100.

“Gods, Grenn” he hissed “my head!”

“Oh, sorry man.”

Jon waived him off as the two made their way to the locker room.

“Jon! You’re ok. Thank the Gods.”

It was Pyp. Podrick and Robb stood behind them, along with Theon Greyjoy.

“That was a nasty hit you took, Snow” Theon said snootily.

“Lay off it, Theon” Robb said.

Podrick only shook his head as he picked up his duffle bag.

It seemed that everyone had already packed their belongings, leaving only Jon in his dirtied vest, chaps and cowboy hat. Doctor Luwin had taken the liberty of removing his riding glove and had placed it in one of his vest pockets.

“We’ll leave you to it, Jon. We’ll wait for you by the monitor next to the chutes” Robb told him kindly.

Jon nodded as he began to take off his protective vest. Robb always knew him better than most. Robb knew that Jon wouldn’t want to talk to them for a while. It always stung after every bull he was bucked off of. He wouldn’t be able to avoid them for long though seeing as they were waiting by the monitor next to chutes.

-

“How bad was it?” Jon asked them.

They hadn’t even gone over the playback yet but he wanted their initial reactions.

“Terrifying.”

“Scary.”

“Heart dropping.”

“Hilarious.”

Jon rolled his eyes as he pushed his way past Theon to look at the monitor. Podrick had already fast forwarded the event to the point where it was Jon’s turn.

He pressed play. Jon could hear the commentator’s voices, Oberyn Martell and Barristan Selmy, as he readied himself on Crosswired.

_[“And here we see the rookie of the year, Jon Snow. Jon Snow placed 7 th going into the championship round. After bucking off in round number one yesterday, Jon had a good ride today atop the bull ‘Who Dat’ today in round two. 88 points. The best ride of the round but bested by six other riders who cleared both of their bulls” Barristan said._

_“Yes, Jon Snow fell spectacularly off of ‘Red Skull’ in round 1. Not even clearing half the needed time, spinning into the bull at around 3.5 seconds. Luckily, our bull fighters were on their day as bull fighter Greyworm managed to push Jon out of Red Skull’s line of damage.”]_

Jon rolled his eyes. Oberyn always was an asshole to him.

_[“Yes, erm” Barristan coughed, “well, Jon Snow needs a score of eighty-nine and three quarters (89.75) to slide into first place. Crosswired should be more than a worthy adversary for such a score. The highest score being ninety-three and a half (93.5) points last year at the world finals. The lowest score being a ninety (90) rated ride. That was out of 4 total qualified rides.”_

_“Out of a total of just over 50 attempted rides. Let’s see if Jon Snow can be number 5.”]_

_“Jon Snow seems to be having a bit of trouble in the shoots it seems” Barristan said, “Crosswired appears to not want to play ball with the rider from the north. He appears to be anxious to buck in the shoots.”_

_“Mm. Jon Snow would do well to let the clock run down. The chances of winning the event are next to impossible with riders such as Daario Naharis and Quentyn Martell still to ride. Emmet is currently out to injury while Forrester and Drogo have taken the week off. No doubt all three riders would have pushed Jon Snow from his 7 th place to 9th if they were here today.]_

Jon clenched his fist.

_[The monitor showed Jon tightening the rope around his gloved hand. Robb was attempting to push Crosswired into a stationary position with his boot atop the bull’s hump. After being satisfied with the wrapped rope around his riding hand, Jon pushed his black cowboy hat down with his free hand. Jon slid his groin until it was resting on his riding hand._

_Crosswired began to buck wildly once again in the chute.]_

Jon smirked as he saw the events play out. No doubt that Crosswired was adjusted to the routine. The bull knew when a rider was ready to give the go ahead for the gatekeeper to open the chute. Crosswired enjoyed bucking as much as a rider enjoyed riding.

_[“Oh dear” Barristan said, “Crosswired is certainly causing a ruckus in the chutes.”_

_“He should wait for the judge to offer another bull. Winning the event is beyond him. Best to ride a bull and take the additional paycheck to his earlier qualified ride.”_

_“He’s not here for the money” Barristan replied. “Jon Snow is here to show the world that he means business. He wants to be the best. He was the rookie of the year last season. This is his chance. To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. He may not win, but he’s going to make those six other men in front of him work for it.”_

_“I never understood this honorable lie you riders claim “in it for the fun”. I never once chose a bull without knowing the payoff I’d receive for riding it. Perhaps that’s why I’m the only 3 time world champion.”_

_The viewers could her Barristan Selmy sigh over his mic._

_“Well, it appears that Jon Snow isn’t going to wait for the re-ride. And here we go!”_

_Jon had given the go ahead with a nod, the chute opening wide as Crosswired walked slowly out of the chute before hopping 5 feet in the air._

_“Crosswired launches himself in the air, he’s spinning towards the right, right into Jon’s hand. Snow has a good seat, matching Crosswired spins. 4 seconds! 5! 6! Seven, another hop and OH DEAR! Oh my!”]_

Jon winced as he saw himself fly into the air. Somehow, when the bull had spun around the seventh second, Jon had been slightly unseated and had been lifted just a bit into the air. And just as Jon’s body was coming back down towards the back of the bull, Crosswired had decided to hop straight into the air, causing Jon to fly straight up, his entire body was completely vertical, his riding hand the only anchor keeping him from flying further into the air.

Another wince when he saw his body bounce off the side body of the bull and his face straight into the steel chutes.

He could see his body limping loosely, Greyworm jumping atop his riding hand in order to free him. The hang up was relieved rather quickly and Jon could see himself moving slowly and trying to sit up before falling back down.

The clock read 7.39 seconds but Doc Luwin said that the final official score was 7.51.

“Tough luck man” Grenn said, “I’m surprised you’re standing clearly after that wallop.”

Theon snickered, earning a smack to his shoulder from Robb.

“The bull scored a 46.5. That’s an impressive opponent” Podrick remarked.

“Yeah, best bull score of the night in fact” Robb said.

Jon grit his teeth. He would’ve had a high score if he had only just lasted half a second longer. Well, depending if the judges thought he had good form. A qualified ride was scored on two factors. The rider and the bull. Both rider and bull were scored out of 50 but only the bull’s score was guaranteed to be given. A rider was only permitted a score if he made the entire 8 seconds.

“Who won the event” he asked suddenly.

“Gendry” Podrick answered.

“The rookie? He rode before me…” Jon asked in bewilderment.

“Yeah…erm…no one else managed to clear their bulls…” Grenn trailed off.

“How does it feel Snow? Only half a second from winning Storm End’s event?” Theon was rather smug. However, it didn’t last.

“You didn’t even qualify for the championship round…” Podrick said.

Theon glared daggers at him.

Jon stared off into space before cursing as he suddenly backhand one of the steel bars of the chutes with a closed fist.

Everyone backed away from him as he began to pace, muttering low curses under his breath. When he calmed down he asked his friends how the fabled “better riders”, according to Oberyn Martell, performed.

“Both Naharis and Quentyn failed to clear their respective bulls, Drogon and Viserion” Podrick said to him.

“Both bulls come from the same owner, don’t they?” Robb asked.

Podrick nodded.

“Daenerys Targaryen. Been making a good deal of waves with her bulls. She has five good bulls. But everyone knows the three un-rideable bulls she owns.”

“Drogon, Viserion and Rhaegal, isn’t it?” Grenn asked.

Podrick nodded again.

“I want to see their rides” Jon said.

Podrick turned back to the monitor as he forwarded to Quentyn Martell atop Viserion.

_[“Here we see your nephew, Quentyn. Viserion of course has been unridden during his duration here at the Built Ford Tough Series. Alongside his brothers Drogon and Rhaegal. Viserion is arguable the tamer of the three brothers, but still a worthy opponent. Small and light, Viserion is known for his spins rather than his powerful kicks. He’s positioned to spin into Quentyn’s hand, but that hasn’t helped any rider in the past.”_

_“Yes” Oberyn replied. “I’ve met the bull before an event once. Gentle with a fire burning within his heart. Not unlike his owner.”_

_Barristan coughed._

_“Anyways” Oberyn continued, “I have full faith in Quentyn. I think the ride is assured if the bull spins into his hand.]_

Jon smirked as he heard from his friends what the result would end up in. He wished he could have been next to Oberyn as Viserion bucked his nephew from his seat.

_[Quentyn looks ready and in position. He gives the go ahead! Viserion hops towards his right-but no! Viserion begins to spin away from Quentyn’s hand and to the left. Quentyn is sliding- and it’s over at three seconds…”]_

“You think Oberyn left to go cry his eyes out?” Robb asked.

_[“Yes, the bull was smart enough to spin away from Quentyn’s hand. As you could see, Quentyn had a perfect seat as Viserion came out of the chute and had a decent seat when Viserion chose to spin left. A slight stumble caused Quentyn to come a bit off balance, but that’s all a bull like Viserion needs.”]_

“Never mind” Robb remarked.

_[An image of a beautiful silver haired woman appeared on the screen. She had a smug look as she raised her chin while her bull made his way back to the steel corral.]_

Theon whistled.

“I wouldn’t mind riding _that_ ” he said.

“Her bulls would buck you off in less than two seconds” Jon said offhandedly.

“That’s not what I meant-”

Grenn shushed him as Podrick forwarded to Naharis’ turn on Drogon.

“Shit, that’s one big animal” Grenn said.

Indeed, Drogon was a large black bull with ferocious looking horns that pointed at an angle. It surely had no business performing as an athlete for the WPBR. Jon could not believe such an animal to be athletic. How wrong he was.

_[“Naharis appears to be smiling as he converses with Drogon’s owner, Daenerys Targaryen. Daenerys is the daughter of famed late Stock Contractor, Aerys Targaryen. Aerys unfortunately perished a few years past and left his legacy to his three children. Rhaegar has produced a few noteworthy bulls, we saw his bull ‘Crosswired’ earlier today. However, it isn’t strange to say that Daenerys’ bulls are of exceptional and higher caliber. Notably this bull here…Drogon. Is Daario Naharis, perhaps, coaxing information from Daenerys in order to have a better shot at her bull?”_

_They could hear Oberyn snort at Selmy’s comments._

_“He’s trying to coax something” Oberyn said smoothly._

_Barristan ignored him._

_“Naharis is set. The world number 2, second to only last season’s number 1 rider of the world, Khal Drogo. Against Drogon, a contender for this year’s Bull of the Year. Naharis slides up into his seat, lefthanded. He gives the go ahead!”_

_Drogon immediately darted out of the shoots the second it was opened._

_“Drogon takes a giant leap! And OH! Naharis is launched toward the bull!”]_

Silence. That was the reaction of the four riders as they saw the monitor.

“Well…damn.” Theon said.

Jon stood in silence as he processed what he had just seen.

The bull had taken a giant leap and it hadn’t even given Naharis an opportunity to get a proper seat. Drogon must have leaped a good six feet in the air. Naharis’ neck had smacked against one of Drogon’s horns as he spun like a top against Drogon’s head. He was hung up for a second but was freed by Greyworm. He walked off towards Sports Medicine, clutching his throat. Looking back at the replay, Daario was lucky. Drogon’s horn had caught onto his vest before sliding towards his throat. It probably would’ve been crushed if it had made direct contact.

The screen showed a worried looking Daenerys as she observed Daario walking off. She gave a glance at her bull before making her way off screen and, presumably, towards the Sports Medicine.

“That bull shouldn’t be able to jump that high” Robb whispered with awe.

Podrick and Grenn stood dumbstruck.

Theon remarked how “hot” Daenerys was.

Jon simply stared at the screen in silence.

“It’s just another bull” he said to them. “Someone will ride him eventually.”

And that someone would be him. He was going to be the best. And he didn’t care if it was Viserion, Drogon or this other bull, Rhaegal.

Jon would clear them all in order to win.


	2. Stonehelm Invitational Round 1

“That’s a good ride right there, Snow. Though it can be better. You’re pushing your free hand too far away from the bull. Keep it high above you when the bull leaps forward. Keep your riding hand strong in your rope, you don’t know what direction that bull’s moving to. He can spin into your hand or away from it. Don’t commit and don’t make the rookie mistake of following into the direction the bull chooses. He can fake you out by moving his head left, and then swinging around to start spinning right. You hear me?”

Jon nodded as he positioned himself over the mechanical bull once more, tightening the rope around his riding hand.

“I hear you uncle” Jon replied.

“Good. I’m going to have the mechanical spin much faster this time, so be ready.”

Jon nodded, clearing his thoughts and focusing his mind on the mechanical animal beneath his legs.

_Breathe in and out_

Jon felt his riding hand clench just ever so tighter. He ignored the button presses and whirls as his uncle punched in the directions for the mechanical bull.

He ignored as his uncle counted down the seconds before he started the ride.

Jon stretched out his neck, taking in the fiber and grit that his muscles felt. He had worked out a bit with his fellow riders earlier in the day and he was starting to feel its effects as he continued to practice on the metal contraption.

Suddenly, the mechanical zoomed to life as he felt it suddenly jerk forward with a rapid movement upwards. Jon hung with the contraption until it suddenly shifted to spin left and away from his hand. He had no worthy reaction to the direction change as he deftly fell off to the right side of the bull and onto the padded surface below.

He could hear his uncle sigh.

“Well” his uncle started, “at least you would’ve lasted a bit longer than Naharis. At least, until the direction change.”

Jon groaned as the headache from the weekend prior began to kick in. He had taken some painkillers and it had been relieved for a while, but Jon guessed that he was due for another dosage.

He looked up at his uncle’s smirking face. He could see the hardened lines around his brow. He was wearing a shirt but had it unbuttoned half-ways up, giving Jon a clear view on the scars that littered his upper torso. They were scars from all the bulls his uncle attempted to tame in his youth, permanently tattooed on his skin.

A quick travel up to his face showed that his uncle had been spared the gore and brutality to his most defining features. A carefree smile filled with glossy white teeth. His skin was sun kissed and below a mop of dusty black hair. His eyes a striking violet.

Arthur Dayne. 2-Time WPBR World Champ and quite possibly the greatest rider of all time. He currently held the record amount of 90+ point rides, with 97. He also happened to be Jon’s uncle.

“What do you mean by that?” Jon grunted on his way to his feet.

“I tried to mimic the mechanical’s movements after the bull from last week’s event at Storm’s End. Drogon, wasn’t it? Yeah, that’s little Daenerys’ bull. He’s a big one and great too. Anyways, you did rather shit on it, but just a tiny bit better than Naharis.”

Jon nodded as he stared at his uncle with slight anxiety.

“You saw that event?”

Jon felt a small flash of nervousness fill him as Arthur scrutinized him with a raised brow.

“Yeah, I saw it. Also saw you eat a mouthful of dirt on your way down. Gave your mother a heart attack. Damn near blew me eardrums when she screamed after seeing you get launched in the air. Probably would’ve been better if you had kept flying rather than come back to gravity and bounce face first into the chutes.”

Jon winced as he remembered watching himself from the video. He was glad that he couldn’t remember the feeling or that the feeling hadn’t lasted long before he blacked out. He sure as hell felt the remnants of it.

“Yeah, she kept calling me as soon as I made it to the hotel. She must have had some sixth sense that told her I was free to talk. She always did predict those moments perfectly. Spent the good part of an hour trying to convince her that I was fine. Should’ve seen how loud she yelled over the phone when I told her I was still coming today to Stonehelm.”

“What’d the doc say?” Arthur asked.

Jon looked at him curiously before shrugging.

“He told me to take off a month of riding. Told him I couldn’t since I was aiming to make Iron Cowboy in two weeks. Then he told me to at least rest from Stonehelm and compete at Blackhaven.”

“Why didn’t you?”

Jon scowled at that.

“What? You think I should’ve rested? I _need_ to compete at Iron Cowboy, uncle Arthur. Robb, Podrick and Grenn already have their invitations. Hell, I think even Theon was invited. The best riders will be there. Drogo, Naharis, Forrester and Martell. Even Emmet is coming back from injury in time to compete. Why shouldn’t I be there? I was rookie of the year last season. I should’ve been invited already!”

“And there it is” Arthur said.

“What?”

“It’s always “me, me, me” with you, Jon. You think the world owes you something kid, but it doesn’t. I don’t know where this entitlement came from, but it’s got to stop. Your friends have all won events this year. You haven’t. You haven’t won an event since last season in Winterfell. You ever stop to think that maybe that’s the reason you haven’t been invited? Levi’s can’t afford another poor showing from their riders like they did last season. You’ve lacked consistency this entire season. For the past 3 months, you’ve had good spells followed by bad. How many rides have you cleared out of all your attempts this season? Just over 40%, right? Iron Cowboy requires you to go through 7 rounds of pure hell. That’s seven rides in one night. _If_ you make it that far. If.”

Jon grit his teeth as he took in his uncle’s words.

“Be sure to keep that in mind, nephew” Arthur said before walking off. “Put up the bull and cover it. I don’t want it exposed to the elements. I’ll pack it in the truck tomorrow morning. You got a big day ahead of you, nephew. 2 weeks to impress your sponsors. Don’t mess it up.”

-

Jon sighed as he felt his stomach acting up. He had eaten his daily breakfast and lunch but he soon felt it coming back upwards. He remembered his uncle’s words from the day before. He had 2 weeks to impress Levi’s. He couldn’t afford to fall off from his bull. Perhaps going perfect wouldn’t even be enough. He _needed_ to win an event. Either this weekend in Stonehelm or next weekend at Blackhaven.

Damn, how did his luck turn out to this?

He was currently sitting by himself as he waited for the round 1 draft to pass to him. The top 20 riders had already chosen their bulls, and Jon could only sit in bitterness when he realized that Robb had a better pick. Meaning that Robb was currently ranked about Jon in the Built Ford Tough Standings (BFTS).

Each event hosted a maximum of 40 riders. An event was usually spread over 3 rounds. Saturday was round 1, where all 40 riders competed, while Sunday hosted rounds 2 and 3 (the “championship round”).

To be eligible for an event, the top 35 riders automatically qualified for the event. The bottom five ranked riders of the world were subject to either be allowed to continue riding or replaced by riders from across the sea in Essos or riders from lower circuits. The WPBR sponsored many lower circuits that would try and spot talent to invite to the premier competition. Jon didn’t know the process as he and Robb had risen through the youth divisional circuits of the PBR that guaranteed a rider entry.

25 riders had already chosen their bulls, which meant that Jon would have his opportunity soon. He was currently ranked 28th in the world, meaning that he had the 28th overall pick going into a new event each week. That was Round 1, after all. All 40 riders would be eligible to compete.

However, after Round 1, the best 25 riders would move onto the next day to compete in Round 2. It was rare for 25 riders to clear their bull; therefore, the rankings came into play once again. If only 20 riders were able to clear their bull, the remaining five spots would be determined by the best five riders via overall ranking. Jon was lucky that he was one of those riders last weekend, but he couldn’t rely on such a situation. Not again.

One of the staff for the WPBR walked towards him.

“Snow” he called out to him, “you’re up.”

Jon nodded as he made to follow the man and towards the event manager.

He could see all the other riders that had received first pick, looking down at him from the upper levels of the arena. The top five riders at the forefront.

Drogo looked at him with disinterest. Naharis stared at him with a smug smile. Emmet and Forrester gave a small wave at him while Quentyn watched him with the same disinterest that Drogo had.

Behind them stood 27 other riders, Robb, Grenn and Theon all standing together. How humiliating to be the rookie of the bunch and the second lowest ranked of the current season. Only Podrick waited behind him, and that was only by one spot.

Jon turned back to the event manager and cracked his neck as he made his way up the ramp.

“Jon Snow?” he asked him?

Jon nodded at him. The manager nodded back as he pushed a clipboard towards him.

“You already know how it goes, son. Names crossed out are bulls already taken. Uncrossed names are the bulls still available. You got two minutes to make up your mind. Choose wisely.”

Jon nodded as he took the list into his hands. There were only 8 bulls left on the list. He mentally made a list of them.

  1. Comet
  2. Crosswired
  3. Deja Blu
  4. Rhaegal
  5. Viserion
  6. Highgarden Dreaming
  7. Red Skull
  8. Cool Spot



There was only one thing going through Jon’s mind.

_Shit_

Why were all the available bulls so rank? There should have been more than a few of the easier ones on the list. Did the earlier riders really avoid the ranker ones that much? He could see that a few more notable bulls of ranker status had already been chosen, but he could also see that all the easier caliber bulls had been chosen.

All right.

Comet. One of last year’s contenders for Bull Of The Year. Ended the season by placing fourth overall. A large bull with a heavy instep as he chose a direction to spin in.

Crosswired. Jon could still feel the pain in his face and body.

Deja Blu. Another large bull. Bleu in color and fast. A rider had to use their strength as well as agility to stay atop this one. It heavily favored stronger riders such as Drogo. A smaller and lithe rider would be playing catch up with Deja Blu the entire 8 seconds.

Rhaegal? That was one of that woman contractor’s bulls. As was his brother Viserion. He had already seen what the cream colored bull could do when he over spun Quentyn Martell into his hand. If the small and cream bull was considered the least rank of the three, then Jon could only imagine what damage his brother Rhaegal could do.

Highgarden Dreaming. A black bull with a white strip on his face. Considerably less rank than the other 5 bulls in front of him. Decent kicks with manageable speed. Jon could like his chances on the bull and it was entirely possible to go into Round 2 with a high place if he managed to ride him for the 8 seconds.

Red Skull had already bested him last week, but it was mainly due to poor luck in Jon’s opinion.

Cool Spot was a white bull with large black spots. A bull that chose to spend its time hopping in the air without the same intensity as Crosswired.

Jon made up his mind as soon as he finished the list in his head.

He gave the list to the manager and told him that chose Highgarden Dreaming as his opponent. The manager nodded as he informed the announcer next to him of Jon’s decision.

“Highgarden Dreaming! Jon Snow will face Highgarden Dreaming in Round 1” The announced called to the entire room.

Jon made his way up towards the balcony. He saw his friends standing by each other and continued towards them.

“Highgarden Dreaming, huh?” Robb asked him.

“Yeah” Jon replied, “I think I can hang with the bull’s spins. A few kicks here and there. It should be a good overall score.”

Robb nodded at the logic.

“What bull did you choose” Jon asked Robb.

“Who Dat” Robb replied.

“That’s a good bull. I won Round 2 last week on him. He likes to spin to the right, so you’ll have to hang with him since he’ll be spinning away from your hand.”

“Yeah, I figured. Theon chose a bull called “Blue Boy”. Derby bull I think.”

“Should be an easy ride” Theon remarked.

Jon looked at him with a raised brow.

“I thought you’d choose one of Daenerys’ bulls.”

Theon snorted at that.

“I said I’d like to ride her. I want nothing to do with her beasts” he replied.

Robb chuckled at that.

“Speak for yourself” Grenn piped up, “I’m smart enough to know that to get into those pants, you need to weaken her a bit. Ride one of her bulls and she’ll come to you. That’s why I chose one of hers.”

“Drogon” Jon asked in surprise.

“Fuck no. I chose one of her other bulls, “Silver”. Pale and athletic looking bull.”

“That’s a good choice” they heard from behind them.

It was Podrick. He was finally making his way up the ramp after making his decision.

“Red Skull” Podrick said. “I’d like my hand at him. Anyways, Silver is quick but has a few hops to him. He’s not as fast as Viserion so he should be easier to manage. I know that Naharis scored about 88.75 on him a few weeks ago. Drogo scored a solid 90, so you can definitely win the round on him if you manage to hang the entire 8, Grenn.”

The group of five talked for a bit before making there way down to the chutes after the last rider had made his selection.

It would be a tough day of competition, but all five had the swagger that they would clear and qualify their rides.

-

10 Riders had already competed. The bottom 40. The other five riders had a separate selection of bulls.

It didn’t matter in the end. All 10 riders had failed to earn a qualified ride.

Now, Podrick and Jon readied themselves over their respective chutes. Both riders had already tied their riding ropes onto their bulls earlier in the day, they only waited for their bulls to be led to their respective chutes.

First, it was Highgarden Dreaming to enter the gates with Red Skull following after him. One of the staff closed the door to the chute behind Highgarden Dreaming, barring him off from Red Skull behind him.

Jon sat directly on the steel bars of the chutes, his legs resting on the steel bars of the gate. Highgarden Dreaming lazed languidly inside the chutes.

He looked over to Podrick, observing him as he prepared himself on Red Skull. Podrick began tightening his rope in his hand and Jon took that as a queue to position himself on Highgarden Dreaming.

Grenn was helping Podrick atop his bull while Robb stood by him. Jon could hear the crowd cheering as the announced hyped Podrick.

“Ladies and gentlemen. Podrick Payne. Atop. Red…Skull.”

Jon rolled his eyes at the milked suspense the announcer put into the situation.

“If he rides this bull…we can see our first qualified score of the night, ladies and gentlemen. Can he do it? Podrick Payne.”

Jon heard the chutes behind him open.

“Here we go!”

Jon turned his head over to the right in order to see the ride as it happened. He frowned as he saw Podrick struggling to stay balanced atop the bull’s back. Red Skull contorted his body as he angled his body to turn right. Podrick committed to turn his body with the direction spin, but Red Skull opted to spin left. Podrick couldn’t keep up as he fell hard onto the dirt terrace, the bull fighters quickly jumping in to save him from Red Skull’s wrath.

Jon turned his head back over to face forward. Robb leaned down to him from above the chute.

“Keep your head up, Snow. Don’t let him spin you too far or out position you when he bucks a bit.”

Jon droned out his brother as Robb held the free rope for Jon to evenly spread the rosin. After being satisfied with the spread of rosin on his rope, Jon began to position his handle at the position he liked it best. He told Robb to pull on the rope so that he could begin to wrap it around his riding hand.

_“You’re going to convince your sponsor to invite you to Iron Cowboy in 2 weeks?”_

Jon closed his eyes as he slapped his face. Robb looked down at him curiously but did not say a word. Jon adjusted his black cowboy hat tighter atop his head as he slid up to the handle of his rope. He didn’t hear the roar of the crowd as the gatekeeper opened the gate of the chute to allow Highgarden Dreaming to begin bucking.

It was instantaneous. Highgarden Dreaming began bucking as soon as he felt the gate allow him freedom. Jon grit his teeth as he used his muscles to hold tightly onto the bull. His head was thrown back as the bull kicked upwards. Jon needed to recover quickly in order to meet the bull’s leap upwards. He kept his free arm to his side in order to avoid making contact with the bull. He couldn’t afford a disqualified ride.

Highgarden Dreaming angled himself to spin right, but Jon stayed himself to the center of the Bull’s back, not committing to the Bull’s intended direction. It wasn’t until the bull opted to spin right, as it initially intended, that Jon waved his free arm away and to the left.

The bull kept spinning with hard intent and speed, yet Jon remained centered. The bull tried to jump high as he spun, but Jon angled his body on the animal with expertise.

Each kick, each spin. They were matched with Jon’s movements. As the seconds ticked by, the crowd’s roar became deafening but it was only a faint whisper in his ear.

Another kick and spin into his hand, but Jon wouldn’t be bucked. This ride would end on _his_ terms.

The buzzer sounded off and he noticed the bull fighters start running towards him. That must have signaled the end of the ride. Surely.

He reached for the tail end of his rope and pulled to release the tight grip of the rope from his riding hand.

Sliding his right leg over, Jon used his free arm to push away from the bull as he dismounted, sprinting towards the metal fence. He didn’t know if the bull was near him, it was only instinct to run to safety after every ride. It was the first thing taught to you as a kid.

Once the bull had made it to the corrals, Jon stepped down from the fence and back onto the terrace. He didn’t register that he had lost his hat during the ride until a bullfighter came to hand it to him.

Another bullfighter handed him his bull rope as he looked up at the jumbotron to see his ride in replay. His form was solid throughout the ride.

He heard the announcer’s voice.

“Ladies and gentlemen. The first qualified ride of the night. And it’s a good one.”

The announcer built suspense as he let the silence build on. The crowd teetering with anticipating.

“The scores have come in… EIGHTY NINE AND THREE QUARTER POINTS (89.75).”

The crowd exploded as the score was announced. A large grin broke on his face as he made his way back towards the locker room. The interviewer of the sport had stopped him on his way back.

She had a lightly almond skin with brown curls atop her head. Missandei was her name. A beautiful girl. She had to be around his age. She was followed by a cameraman.

“Jon! Jon. You’re the first qualified ride of the night with a great score. 89.75. How do you feel?”

She put her microphone to his lips.

He smiled at her, causing Missandei to smile in turn.

“It feels great. I just came back from a terrible wreck last week and been putting my mind to focus. My body felt terrible coming in to this round today, but I’m feeling nothing but victory after that ride.”

She continued to smile as she looked directly into the camera.

“You heard him. He feels nothing but great after that ride. Back over to you, Barristan.”

The cameraman dropped the camera as the feed switched over to the commentators. She gave him a small smile as he walked off, giving her a small smile in return with a nod.

-

The rides had been going much quicker after his ride. All 5 riders after Jon cleared their respective bulls but none managed to even come close to his score. Theon and Grenn were the next two riders up to ride.

Jon had headed over to their chutes and opted to help out the rider that wasn’t an asshole towards him. Robb could deal with the one that was.

“You ready Grenn?” Jon asked his friend who was currently resting atop the steel chutes.

“As ready as I could ever be, I guess. That was a great ride, you know. Really boosted the morale of every rider after you. We all really thought that these bastards would all get the best of us.”

Jon gave a humorous huff.

“Though” Grenn continued, “I’m starting to really regret choosing this bull. I talked with the guys in the locker that had experience with this one. Only two guys have managed to ride this one and they’re both in the top 5!”

“Not very confident as you were when you chose him. Are you?” A silky voice said from behind them.

Grenn whipped his head around suddenly as Jon turned slowly towards the source.

They were greeted with the sight of none other than the bull’s owner, Daenerys Targaryen.

She was dressed in faded high waisted jeans, a pink shirt with a denim jacket of the matching color of her jeans. She wore a tan leather belt and, as he looked down to her feet, matching leather boots.

When he rose his eyes back up, he saw that she rose a silver eyebrow at him. However, it wasn’t out of anger but rather mock humor. She wore her silver hair in a braid and smiled at him with her deep red lips.

He felt his blood rush to the back of his neck, so he stepped aside to let her have a clear view of Grenn. He was the one riding her bull, after all.

Her frown slightly died down as she followed him move to the side, but she quickly recovered as she stepped towards Grenn.

“Are you cowboy?” She asked again.

Grenn swallowed as he puffed his chest out.

“It’s just before-performance nerves. I’ll be able to perform when it’s time.”

Jon rolled his eyes at the innuendo while Daenerys laughed at the obvious suggestion. He decided to spare Grenn from further embarrassing himself.

“You should position yourself on the bull already Grenn. Greyjoy’s already wrapping his hand.”

Grenn looked at him before nodding his head, sliding down onto the back of the animal. Jon walked up to chute and grabbed the free rope while Grenn tried to figure out the best position to place his handle. Jon looked up as he saw Theon’s gate open.

Theon hung atop the derby bull for a bit until he was flung off with a hard kick at around 5 seconds. Jon breathed hard out of his nose to conceal the laugh he wanted to let out.

“Alright” Grenn said, “that’s a good spot.”

Jon pulled on the free rope to tighten it, handing it off to Grenn so that he could tighten his rope around his hand. Jon noticed the bull headbutting the gate slightly as it rocked back and forth.

“Careful Grenn, he’s going to blast” Jon told him.

Daenerys looked at him to stare at his face. Grenn, however, shook his head.

“I talked to the guys inside the locker room. He’s going to spin.”

“Grenn” Jon hissed, “he’s going to blast out of the gate.”

“Spin.”

Jon clenched his fist around the bars of the fenced chute, his teeth grinding together at his friend’s stubbornness.

Grenn slid up to his riding hand and nodded his approval to let the gate open.

It lasted as long as Jon thought it would with his friend’s stubbornness. Less than 2 seconds. The white bull blasted out of the gate and Grenn was forced off to the side. Jon sighed as he bowed his head with his eyes closed.

“Good job cowboy” Daenerys said next to him.

Jon turned his head to the side as he looked up at her with one eye open.

“You predicted that ride perfectly.”

Jon pushed off of the fence as he turned away from her to go meet up with Robb, who was resting against the back fence.

“I knew it was coming when I saw your bull anxious within the chute. He was itching to get out” He called out to her as he began to walk off.

“That was a good ride earlier” she said to him, “You really hung with that bull every step of the way. It should’ve been at least a 90 to me.”

He stopped slightly in his step as he turned back to her.

“Thank you” he said with a genuine smile.

She made to return it, but he had already turned around to walk to his brother.

Robb for some reason was looking with great intrigue at him.

“What?” Jon asked when he stood next to him.

“You guys friends?”

“Who?”

Jon was very confused at his brother’s question.

“You and Daenerys” Robb clarified.

“No. She was just there to see Grenn ride her bull.”

“Mm… Is that why she complimented you on your riding?”

“She just thought I rode well, that’s all.”

“She looked a little upset when you turned around before seeing her give you a smile.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing” Jon waived off. “Anyways, don’t you have a bull to ride up soon?”

Robb nodded as he saw Who Dat being led into Robb’s respective chute.

“Yup” Robb said, moving from his leaned position to head towards his bull, “coming with?”

Jon nodded.

“Of course.”

-

The night had ended with only 19 total riders clearing their bulls. Grenn had just barely made the cutoff list via his ranking. Theon and Podrick missed out of round 2. Robb had cleared his bull expertly, but it had a rather languid showing earning Robb a meager 86 points.

Jon had ended up placing 3rd overall at the end of the night, missing out to Drogo and Naharis tying for first place; both riders scoring a flat 90 points. The other three riders of the top five had also cleared their bulls but scored below Jon. It was a satisfying feeling for him, ranking above three of the best but he also knew that it was only Round 1. If Jon really wanted to show that he was the best…

Then he would need to place above _every_ member of the top five and win the Stonehelm Invitational.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always thought that Jon/Missandei was an underrated ship. I don't know if how long I'll run with it, maybe I'll make it a polygamy story, but I really like that pairing. 
> 
> This is what spinning into your hand looks like:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8LTnLzSjjM


	3. Stonehelm Invitational Round 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon and co hit the bar after Round 1.
> 
> The happenings of Round 2 and going into the Championship Round. Jon meets a familiar foe.

“I’m just shaying. That bull was complete fucking bullshiet.”

Theon Greyjoy was currently attempting to drink his disbelief and sorrow away.

“Theon” Robb sighed, “You underestimate a bull because you thought it was just another Round 1 derby bull.”

“It wash a Round 1 derby bull” Theon slurred out in anger.

Robb sighed again before shaking his head.

The 5 riders had decided to go to a local bar in the area after the event had ended. Theon was currently drowning himself in liquor while Podrick took his elimination with a better temperament. He still drank more than the other remaining three riders, but he didn’t make a damn fool of himself in the bar for others to hear.

Grenn was counting his lucky stars, barely making the cutoff list due to his rank. 19 riders had qualified with their rides and he just so happened to be the last of the 6 remaining slot to compete in Round 2.

Jon and Robb lightly took sips of their drink as they took the role of caretakers.

“So…” Robb said.

“So?” Jon turned to him.

“Daenerys Targaryen” he said, looking slyly at him from the corner of his eyes.

Jon sighed as he took a large swig from his beer.

“What about her?”

Robb shrugged as he took a small sip from his own bottle.

“Nothing…nothing. Just… I find it strange that she tries to talk to you when it’s Grenn riding her bull.”

“She talked to Grenn” he replied gruffly.

“Yeah, for like…two seconds. All she asked him was if he was still as confident as before.”

“What more did you want her to do? Did you want her to ask him about the weather?”

“Nah…just found it curious as to why she continued the conversation with you after you had shown minimal interest. That’s all.”

“Minimal interest” Jon questioned with a raised brow, “what are you even talking about? She was just making conversation.”

Robb put one and a half hands up in surrender, his right-hand half holding his beer bottle.

“Ok. Ok.” Robb conceded.

Jon nodded as he took another swig of his beer, the levels of its content reaching dangerously low. Both brother stood there, leaning against the bar as Jon ordered another beer.

“So…” Robb continued.

Jon rolled his eyes.

“What now, Robb?”

Robb coughed as he looked slightly behind him. Jon looked at him with curiosity.

“What are you looking at.”

Robb pointed somewhere behind him with the upper lip of his bottle.

“I’m looking at her” Robb told him.

Jon turned around to see his line of sight and a queasy feeling in his stomach fluttered around as he saw silvery-gold tresses. They were free and slightly curled as they fell over her shoulders. She was still wearing her deep red lipstick and her pearly white teeth shone under the bar lights. She was sitting at a table surrounded by three men.

“Looks like she’s pretty good friends with Drogo and Naharis” Robb remarked at the acknowledgement of two of the three men. “Doesn’t look like Martell is getting anywhere, though.”

Jon snorted as he turned back around when the bartended brought the bottle of beer he had just ordered.

“Ooh” Robb continued, “looks like the princess knows how to down her beer. That’s a bottle of Corona, if I’m not mistaken.”

Jon merely grunted in response; Robb turned back around to stand next to his brother.

“So, you don’t find it strange that she happens to be here at the same place as you are?”

Jon gave him a brief side eyed look before shaking his head.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to insinuate or push, Robb. She’s just here with her friends.”

“I’m not insinuation anything. Just trying to piece as to why she takes an interest in you and then later happens to appear at the same bar as you.”

“She isn’t interested in me” Jon insisted, “and besides, I have no claim over this bar. And it isn’t like she sought me out or anything. She’s here with her friends.”

“Huh…so she opted to be here with here friends? We’ve been in this bar for a good hour with those fellas over there here just as long as us. Let me tell you that I’ve looked over to them a few times in the good part of that hour and I didn’t see her until just now.”

“Probably came here late, that’s all. Drop it, Robb.”

“Could be” Robb half agreed “…or it could also be that she knew you’d be here, came into the bar, is sitting next to those guys as a decoy before she makes her way over here to make conversation.”

Jon looked at him with a deadpan stare. They stared at one another before bursting out into fits of laughters.

“Ha…ha…ok…ok. Maybe that’s not what happened. Yeah, it’s more than likely she’s just here with some friends but you have to admit that it is odd that she happens to be in the same bar as you.”

Jon shrugged as he took a swig of his beer. He could feel his body tingling as the effects of the night’s drinking began to take an effect on him.

“Or maybe not…” Robb said with a far off voice.

“What are you on about now” Jon asked with a slight smile.

He frowned as he saw his brother look intently over Jon’s shoulder. Jon turned his head back towards the direction where he knew Daenerys was sitting and felt his breath hitch in his throat.

She was making her way over towards them.

Jon stared at her with a dumbfounded expression before a voice in the back of his head told him that it would be best to turn back around and not follow her with his eyes like some creep.

“She’s just getting up to get another drink” Jon muttered.

“I don’t think so” Robb whispered. “She didn’t get up the first time to get a drink. Why would she suddenly need to get up now?”

Jon ignored his brother as he took another sip of his, last, beer bottle. He didn’t need to turn around to know whom it was that stood in the place next to him at the bar counter. He could smell her. The faint aroma of citrus and vanilla on her skin.

He figured that there was no point in trying to feign ignorance. She had already caught him looking at her when she was making her way towards them. He took one last swig from his remaining beer and turned to give her, what he assumed was, a warm smile.

“Hey cowboy” she said with a bright smile.

She looked over him, to Robb and gave him a greeting as well. He returned it with a half-upturned smile. She turned back to Jon, crossing her arms to her chest as she leaned against the bar table.

“Hey” he replied back.

He didn’t know why he felt the need to offer her a drink, but he made the offer anyway.

“Corona or Dos Equis? Pick your poison.”

She gave a small giggle.

“Aren’t you Mr. Suave. I’m a Corona girl, but I’ll do you the courtesy and match your drink, cowboy.”

He smiled at her comment before turning to the bartender and nodding for him to grab a bottle. The bartender obviously didn’t get the memo that Jon was done drinking, because he grabbed two bottles from the cooler and set one, each, in front of Jon and Daenerys.

He frowned as he took the bottle from the table and brought it close to him. He debated the possibility of refusing the drink, but he didn’t want to come off as a complete douche. He also didn’t want to baby his sips or else he’d risk the possibility of coming off as a puss to the girl right next to him.

He sighed internally, lifting the drink to his lips to take a large swig. He heard movement from his right and saw that Robb was moving away from them and towards Theon, Grenn and Podrick.

“So” Daenerys started, causing him to turn to her, “you ready for Round 2?”

He nodded as he winced from the large amount of alcohol he had just consumed.

“Yeah” Jon said. “I feel good after that ride I had. A little bummed that I missed out on winning the round but, hey, going into Round 2 in 3rd place sure doesn’t hurt.”

“I still think you should’ve been at least tied for first. That ride was 90 points. Easy.”

Jon shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t like talking about his scores to people he didn’t know. Jon saw his ride on the screen again and thought he did just a little bit better than he was scored, but he wasn’t going to get hung up over it.

“The fact that the bull was scored higher than you is a crime, I think.” She leaned in closer to him. “You did all the work out there. You rode and spurred that bull until he didn’t know what to do with you.”

He smiled at the praise from her. He was sure that it was high coming from her.

“Thank you” he said gratefully. “That means a lot. That mean I can count on you to start my fan club?”

She gave a light laugh at that comment.

“I’ll keep you posted, cowboy.”

They stood there smiling at one another until the heard a loud crash behind them.

Jon turned to see Theon fighting with Grenn. Well…losing to Grenn. The latter man was currently pounding the tall idiot to a pulp.

He turned to Daenerys.

“Sorry, princess.” He downed the rest of his beer as she rose an eyebrow at the nickname. “I got to make sure those two idiots don’t get us permanently banned from this establish for when we come back into town next season.”

She looked like she wanted to protest but settled for a frown and a small nod.

He headed quickly over to Robb and Podrick, who were both trying to restrain Theon and Grenn, and didn’t see Daenerys trailing him with her eyes the entire way to his friends.

-

“Damn it, Robb, why the hell did you choose this one?”

Jon was currently shouting to his brother as he helped him get ready over his bull.

Round 2 of the event had started 20 riders earlier. Grenn had already ridden his own bull and had cleared him. 87 points, which currently placed him in 10th position; the position that Robb had gone into Round 2 with.

“Shut up and get him off the damn fence. He’s leaning on my leg!” Robb shouted.

“Damn it, Robb. This bull is easily a Championship round bull. Why the hell would you choose him knowing you have another bull to clear after?”

“Just shut up and get him off my leg!”

Jon rolled his eyes as he pulled a leg over the fenced chute in order to use his boot to push the bull, Paycheck, off of his brother’s leg.

He didn’t know how the tan bull had been pushed early into the Round 2 selection, but it sure as hell wasn’t because he lacked the intensity of the Championship Round.

Jon quickly pulled his leg back as Paycheck began to buck wildly in the chutes. Robb hadn’t been able to get his handle properly positioned where he wanted, causing his rope to slide wildly and out of position once again. They would need to start the process over.

A judge had approached them with a clipboard and a stopwatch.

“Hey, Stark. You’re on the clock. One minute.”

He could see Robb grit his teeth as he reached for the free rope, handing it over to Jon. Robb began to fumble with the handle as he struggled to decide in what position he wanted his rope in. Jon gave Robb a smack on the back of his neck, causing his brother to snap out of his frantic haze. Robb began to slide the rope sideways until he chose to position it slightly to the side of the bull’s hump.

“30 seconds, Stark” the judge told him.

Jon didn’t wait for Robb’s word as he pulled on the rope to tighten it. If it wasn’t in the position Robb had wanted, then too bad.

Robb began to slide his hand up and down the free rope in order to spread the rosin over it, then began to wrap it around his riding hand which happened to be his left.

Robb was positioned in a way that the bull would prefer to spin to the right, which was away from Robb’s hand.

“15 seconds, Stark.”

Jon felt his hands begin to sweat as Robb seemed to take his time.

Robb slapped his face, just as Jon had done the night before.

“10 seconds, Stark.”

Robb pressed down on his white hat and slid his groin up towards his riding hand. Robb took a different approach from the average rider. Instead of allowing his body to fall down and rest against the bull’s back, he used his strength in his riding arm in order to be slightly elevated while he used the gates to stand on slightly. ( _Justin McBride’s riding style_ )

“5 Seconds. 4. 3.”

“Let’s go!” Robb called out.

The gatekeeper opened the gate and Jon held his breath as he saw Paycheck blast out of the chute as he had seen Silver do against Grenn.

But the caliber of riding between Robb and Grenn was night and day. Robb met Paycheck’s kicks with his own body as Paycheck kicked up and down. Suddenly, Paycheck had made the costly mistake of deciding to spin left instead of right. Into Robb’s hand instead of away.

Jon’s mouth worked faster than his mind.

“Oh, hell yeah!” he screamed. “Come on Robb. Ride him! Ride him!”

Paycheck had taken a slight stumble and Robb had slid just a bit to the outside of the bull.

“Get back up, Robb! Hustle it and get back up!”

As if he could hear him, Jon knew he couldn’t, Robb used his strength to balance himself back to the middle of the bull’s back.

“Go! Go! Keep hustling! Ride him!”

He kept screaming for what felt like hours but the buzzer for the 8 seconds had come soon after. Jon pushed himself away from the chute as he cheered for his brother.

Robb quickly ran away from the bull as he headed back towards the chute. He jumped up onto the steel fence as Jon embraced. Just as Jon had experienced the night before, Robb had lost his hat, leaving hist cropped auburn hair exposed.

Jon clapped him on his back as Robb turned around to embrace him.

A few other riders came over to congratulate Robb as they awaited the scores. Both brothers looked up at the jumbotron to see the replay of Jon’s ride.

“That’s gotta be at least a 91” Jon whistled to him.

Robb only smiled dumbly.

The announcer’s voice came on in the arena.

“Oh my goodness. Ladies and gentlemen. Robb Stark atop Paycheck. Let me tell you folks, that boy is going to enjoy the paycheck he just earned atop that bull. The scores are coming in. They’re coming in… Ladies and gentleman. They’re here.”

Jon and Robb held their breath as a bullfighter came with Robb’s hat and bull rope.

“Hold onto your seats folks. We have ourselves a new event leader… NINETY-TWO AND A HALF POINTS (92.5)!!!”

The crowd went crazy as an explosion of confetti rained down on them. Robb’s smile became wider as he gave one last hug towards Jon before making his way back towards the locker room. Jon continued to clap his hands, even as Robb was stopped by Missandei for a quick interview.

Even as 9 other riders, including him, waited for their turns atop their bulls, Jon was confident that Robb had just won Round 2.

-

Jon waited his turn as his bull was led to his chute. He leant against the steel fence at the back, waiting for the go ahead from the judge to mount his bull.

He didn’t have to wait much longer. He steadied his breath as he prepared himself for the clash against the bull he had chosen earlier. He remembered the feeling as he looked down at the list handed to him by the event manager. By placing 3rd in Round 1, Jon had the luxury of having 3rd pick going into Round 2.

Many would wonder why he had chosen the bull he had chosen, but Jon was determined to correct the wrongs of the previous weekend.

“Snow” the judge said to him.

Jon looked up from his leaning position.

“Red Skull is ready for you.”

Jon nodded his head as he headed towards the chute, where Robb was already waiting.

“Good luck.”

He whipped his head around to follow to the source of the all too familiar voice.

It was her. Standing in darker jeans than the night before and a red colored shirt rather than purple. She wore the same denim jacket and matching leather boots and belt. She didn’t have the deep red lipstick, opting for a clear lip gloss over her plump pink lips.

What was she doing here? Her bulls weren’t due to buck until the Championship Round. She should have been waiting in one of her own rooms watching the event on her tv. She had that luxury as a stock contractor.

He didn’t get to respond to her as his body kept moving on its own volition. He made his way over towards his bull and began to climb over the steel fence immediately and onto the bull within the chute.

“Good luck, huh?” Robb remarked to him.

“Not now” Jon hissed.

Jon ignored as the rider before him was allowed out of the chutes. He didn’t see the ride but could tell that the rider had been bucked off due to the groan of the crowd before the buzzer had sounded.

Jon began to slide the rope side to side until he decided that he liked the handle positioned slightly to the right of the bull’s spine. Red Skull was a red bull with an average set of horns and a broken white pattern face. He had also been the bull to best him in Round 1 of the previous invitational at Storm’s End.

Jon told his brother to pull on the free rope in order to tighten the entire bull rope, and Robb complied. Jon began to furiously spread rosin over the entirety of the length of the bull rope because his hand had popped out the previous week due to not having enough grip on the rope.

Jon breathed out of his nose as he began to wrap the free rope around his riding hand with his free left. He noticed a head full of silver hair appear in his peripheral vision but he ignored the sight in order to concentrate at the task ahead of him.

At first, Jon had taken Red Skull to be an average bull that had bested him only due the unlucky nature of Jon not having enough grip on his free rope. However, after seeing him buck another unlucky rider the night before, Jon had come to the decision that Red Skull was a worthy adversary. Jon had looked into the bull before the draft pick and had found out that the bull was currently unridden in 12 attempts, including Jon and the other rider of the previous night.

Red Skull had mainly bucked off lower ranked riders save one. Iron Emmet. How Jon had the arrogance to underestimate the bull that had bucked off, and injured, that top 3 rider of the world, he had no idea. But it only served to show what a threat Red Skull was. Maybe it was hubris or dumb hope, but Jon was determined to have his second shot at the bull beneath him.

He grabbed the tail end of his free rope and curled it about the bull’s hump. Then, he slapped his face as he had done the night before. Pressing his hat down onto his head, Jon then slid his groin to his riding hand. Jon reached into one of his protective vest’s pocket and pulled out a mouth guard to put into his mouth. He probably should have done that before he mounted the bull. No use on mulling it over, Jon let his mind go blank and he drowned out the noise around him.

Holding onto the fence with his free hand, Jon pushed himself, ever so slightly, more against his riding hand. Giving a hard nod, the gatekeeper opened the chute.

Red Skull opted to spin out of the gate and into his hand. He didn’t know how long that lasted, but the bull then decided to stop his spin in order to give a good kick. Jon felt his upper torso push back but he kept his head firmly down. A rider was scored on how well his form was. Jon needed to be directly in control and in balance on the bull’s back.

Red Skull gave two final kicks before deciding to spin left and away from Jon’s hand. Jon compensated the movements by waving his free hand across his body, towards the right. Red Skull was spinning with speed and Jon almost felt himself slide off when the bull decided to add a strong kick to his spin.

Jon used the strength in his riding hand to pull himself back towards the middle of the bull and waved his arm back to his left to match the bull’s strong spinning kicks. He felt the rope begin to slack beneath him and Jon’s stomach dropped as he felt his hand beginning to pop out of the handle.

The buzzer sounded. Bullfighters ran towards his riding hand and Jon knew.

He had made it.

His grip didn’t last long as his riding hand popped out of the rope and Jon found himself moving his arms in front of him to break his fall down to the terrace. He didn’t know where Red Skull was, so he began to crawl with ferocity towards the fence that protected the audience. As he neared it, Jon stood up and jumped onto the fence as the audience cheered him. He finally looked behind him and saw Red Skull prancing a bit before heading back towards the fenced corrals at the back of the arena. He stepped down from the fence and a bull fighter ran over to hand him his rope. His hat had miraculously stayed on his head.

Jon smiled as he took his bull rope within his free hand. He then flung it over his shoulder as he began to unwrap the tape that kept his black glove in place. Pulling off the glove, he unzipped his vest with his now free right hand.

He headed behind the gated fences and turned to view the jumbotron as he awaited his score.

The announcer’s voice came over the speakers in the arena once again.

“Dear Gods, almighty. Ladies and gentlemen… what have I just seen? Red Skull. Unridden no more. Jon Snow. A rider, ladies and gentlemen. A rider. Wait here with me as we wait for these scores to come in.”

Jon leaned against one of the fences as he noticed his breathing become ragged when the adrenaline wore off.

“His brother, Robb Stark, currently leads the event and goes into The Championship Round with a total of one hundred seventy-eight and a half points (178.5). Jon Snow scored eighty-night and three-quarter points in Round 1, folks. That means he needs a score of eighty-nine points (89) to unseat his brother”

The crowd waited and held their breaths in anticipation.

“The scores are here. Ladies and gentlemen. The. Scores. Are. Here.”

Jon closed his eyes as he looked down.

“Here we go. NINETY-ONE POINTS (91)!!!”

Jon’s eyes flung open as he looked on in complete shock. He had expected his score to be a close one. Something that either failed to make, or just barely made the mark of edging his brother for first place. He didn’t expect for his ride to earn him a 90+ score.

A few of the staff and rider clapped him on his shoulder as he made his way towards the locker room, confetti raining down on him.

He didn’t make it a few steps before Missandei stopped him in his steps.

“Jon! Ninety. One. Points. Incredible. This is a bull that was unridden for 12 separate outs and bucked off not only Emmet, but yourself as well. How does it feel to be in the driver’s seat once again going into another round?”

Jon only shook his head as he smiled in disbelief, no words making it out of his mouth.

“I-I. I just-just. It’s. Wow.”

Missandei beamed at him as he struggled to formulate any words. She quickly pulled the mic back to her lips in order to save him from further embarrassment.

“You can see that the emotions are just too much for Jon at the moment, Barristan. Back to you.”

Jon felt a wave of relief and gratefulness fill him when he saw the camera lower from his and Missandei’s face.

“That was a good ride out there, Jon” Missandei said shyly.

She looked down at her feet as a faint redness dusted her cheeks.

He smiled genuinely at her words and he placed a hand on her shoulder. His hand made slight contact as her dress was cut off slightly. He thought she may shrug him off but she didn’t make to move it away.

“It makes me happy to hear you say that, Missandei. I really thought he had me right at the end.”

She only smiled in response as she looked to the side, avoiding eye contact with him. Jon found the contact and silence begin to grow awkward.

“Anyways, um” he coughed, “I should probably head back to the locker room. Have a big decision coming up.”

She looked up into his grey eyes with her chocolate brown ones and gave a slight nod.

“Of course” she said.

He removed his hand from her shoulder as he began to walk off.

“Good luck” he heard behind him and he gave her a thumbs up as he continued to walk away.

-

Only two riders remained after him. Drogo and Naharis.

Both riders needing ninety-one points in order to take first place from him. However, both riders failed to even score past 88 points on their respective bulls. Drogo scored 88 points atop his bull while Naharis only scored 87.5. Both good scores but not enough to dethrone Jon from his spot. Hell, it wasn’t even enough to pass Robb.

That meant that the following 15 riders were as followed:

  1. Jon Snow: 180.75 pts
  2. Robb Stark: 178.5 pts
  3. Drogo: 178 pts
  4. Daario Naharis: 177.5 pts
  5. Daemon Allyrion: 174.75 pts
  6. Quentyn Martell: 174.5 pts
  7. Rakharo: 174 pts
  8. Gendry Baratheon: 170 pts
  9. Jhogo: 87.75 pts
  10. Satin Rose: 87.25
  11. Aggo: 87 pts
  12. Grenn Mason: 87 pts
  13. Loras Tyrell: 87 pts
  14. Qotho: 86.25 pts
  15. Andrey Dalt: 85 pts



That was how it was.

Jon with first overall pick in Round 3 with Robb following closely after him.

His father always raised him to understand that blood was thicker than water. But sometimes… sometimes a gold buckle came between family.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A "buckle" is a belt buckle and it is the main prize of a win in the real life PBR. Yes, the paycheck is nice but wearing that gold buckle shows your mettle in the sport.


	4. Stonehelm Invitational Championship Round

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final round of Stonehelm. Jon chooses to face a foe that shocks the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (NQR) = No Qualified Ride

Round 2 had barely ended just a few minutes ago. Robb and Jon were currently in the locker room with the other 15 riders that had advanced to the Championship Round.

“You got a good idea of who you’re going to pick?” Robb asked from beside him?

Both men currently had their rope wrapped against a pole and were applying a fresh coat of rosin on their rope.

“I don’t know” Jon answered truthfully, “I need to see the entire list.”

Jon was satisfied with the amount of rosin that he had spread over his black bull rope and let it rest against the wall. Robb had finished with his standard bull rope and had set it beside Jon’s.

“You must have a general idea of which bull might make it onto the list. I’d like to know in case I need to choose another bull. I already have one in mind.”

Jon shook his head as they made there way out to the dirt arena. The announcer had set up a mini stage in the middle of the dirt arena with ramps on each side for the riders to walk up and then walk down. He could see the announcer already standing on top of the stage with a clipboard and microphone in hand.

Jon rested against the gate that led into the arena, it was on the opposite side of the gate where the bulls exited the dirt arena and to their pen.

Jon scrambled inside his head and went through the list of bulls that would more than likely compete in the Championship Round. He first thought of Daenerys. Her bulls were all elite bulls. No doubt that Drogon, Viserion, Rhaegal and Silver would be competing. He wasn’t familiar with her fifth bull, but he had no doubt that he would be an option.

Next on the list would more than likely be the current reigning champion bucking bull from last year, Code Blue. He remembered seeing Code Blue being unloaded from the trucks earlier before the draft for round 1 started. He’d hate whoever was stuck with facing him because it sure as _hell_ wouldn’t be Jon.

Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and was met by an all too familiar sight.

“Hey, cowboy” his new silver haired “companion” said.

“Hey” he responded, a small smile on his face.

“Not long before you pick the path to destiny.”

Robb looked at them with narrow eyes but both parties completely ignored him.

“You know… this is the third time we’ve talked and I still haven’t caught your name” she told him.

He looked at her in surprise at her words and went through his brain as he recalled their two previous meetings. He doubted that she hadn’t known his name. She had stood near him when it was his turn to ride and as the announcer called his name over the speakers. Then again, it would be rude not to introduce himself and he realized that he hadn’t before.

He held out his right hand for her to take.

“Jon. Jon Snow. Daenerys Targaryen, right?”

She smiled as she took his hand with her own. It was smooth and dainty.

“That’s right cowboy. Though, I thought you’d still be calling me princess.”

His smile became softer as he looked at her with his grey eyes.

“You still going to call me cowboy?”

“Maybe” she smirked.

Robb coughed next to them. Both let go quickly as they looked away. Daenerys looked down to her feet while Jon looked to his brother.

“Uh” Rob began, “we should probably head up there already… other riders are already waiting.”

Jon looked down for a split second before looking back up to his brother’s face and nodding. Robb opened the gate and they started heading towards the walkway where nearly all of the qualified riders were waiting.

“Can I count on you to ride mine, cowboy.”

Jon looked back to her as he kept walking while Robb stuttered in his step and looked back with wide eyes. Robb switched his gaze between his brother and the silver haired woman.

Jon looked back at the female stock contractor in confusion.

“Sorry?”

“You heard me” she said, smiling at him once again.

Jon looked to the side and coughed.

“I wouldn’t count on it” he answered truthfully.

She pouted as he and Robb walked off.

It did not take more than ten seconds for both brothers to make it to the middle of the arena where all riders waited for their turn to choose. It also did not take more than twenty seconds for the last of the fourteen riders to arrive after Robb and Jon. Because he was the last of the fifteen riders qualified, Andrey Dalt was not needed at the choosing since he would be paired up with the bull not chosen.

“Look alive Robb” Jon said, “and pray I don’t choose the bull you want.”

“Don’t over exert yourself, brother. Your ride on Red Skull was only around 10 minutes ago. I’m much more rested than you are going into this final round.”

Jon smiled at his brother’s words. Robb was throwing their relation out the window momentarily, just as he was prepared to do.

“No hard feeling on the end result?”

Robb looked at him with a small smirk.

“Remember your words and don’t go crying when this doesn’t end like you want it to.”

Jon laughed at that and took his place ahead of his brother to walk up the ramp.

The announcer received the go ahead from the cameraman.

“Here we go folks. The time is here. It’s time for the draw of the Championship Round. Right here in my hand I have a list of all the 15 available bulls. We’ll start off with the current leader of the event and will work our ways down to the 14th placed rider. The last bull not chosen will be automatically paired with the rider in last place, Andrey Dalt.”

Jon stayed still in his step but he felt nerves in his fingertips as the time for him to choose grew closer and closer.

“Well folks I don’t see a reason to delay it any longer. If our event leader, Jon Snow” the announcer boomed out his name and Jon felt his ears heat up as the crowd began to cheer, “can step right on up here and start us off.”

Jon walked up the makeshift ramp and didn’t stop until he was standing next to the announcer.

“All right, Jon. I got the list right here and it’s all for you to choose. You got one minute on the clock.”

He handed Jon the 15-bull list and Jon raked his eyes up and down the list.

-Air Time

-Belwas

-Big Bucks

-Bruiser

-Brutus

-Code Blue

-Crosswired

-Drogon

-Far West

-King’s Road

-Mudslinger

-Rhaegal

-Silver

-Viserion

-White Magic

It only took Jon a few seconds for the decision to stick in his mind. He had started today’s event with getting revenge and that’s how he was going to finish. He leaned into the announcer’s microphone.

“Crosswired” he said with confidence.

Jon immediately walked off, not waiting to see the looks on the announcer’s face. He only heard the “ooh’s” of the crowd as he walked down the ramp.

“Oh, my goodness! Another rematch for Jon Snow from last weekend’s event. Jon Snow versus Crosswired!”

The crowd roared and Jon was already crossing behind the gate to go back to the locker room where his bull rope was.

He heard the announcer call up Robb’s name.

-

Jon and Robb were currently sitting on the benches of their locker room and watching the television mounted in one of the upper corners of the room.

They could see all the fifteen riders and their matchups. They were separated into “breaks” of 5. 3 riders in each go before they cut off for television commercials:

(15) Andrey Dalt vs Code Blue

(14) Qotho vs Mudslinger

(13) Loras Tyrell vs Air Time

 

(12) Grenn Mason vs Brutus

(11) Aggo vs Belwas

(10) Satin Rose vs Viserion

 

(9) Jhogo vs Far West

(8) Gendry Baratheon vs Big Bucks

(7) Rakharo vs King’s Road

 

(6) Quentyn Martell vs Rhaegal

(5) Daemon Allyrion vs White Magic

(4) Daario Naharis vs Silver

 

(3) Drogo vs Drogon

(2) Robb Stark vs Bruiser

(1) Jon Snow vs Crosswired

 

“That was a bold choice you made out there” Robb said, “…but are you sure you aren’t pushing it?”

Jon turned to his brother.

“What do you mean?”

Robb took a deep breath as he looked away.

“It’s just…this past week you’ve been sort of out of it. There’s this sort of demon that’s possessed you and it won’t seem to let go. You already got payback from last week when you rode Red Skull tonight. I just think that you’ve been too focused and hung up on this past week.”

“I’m not hung up over it” Jon insisted. “And besides, is that a bad thing? This is the best I’ve ridden in a long time, but I need to get even with the one that put me on this path.”

“Whatever man” Robb sighed.

His brother grabbed his bull rope and walked off to go talk with Theon. Jon simply shook his head as he saw him walk off.

-

3 of the seeds had already passed, meaning that 9 riders had already ridden. Jon knew that he already needed to head over to the individual pens in order to tie his bull rope around Crosswired but he stayed for just a little while in order to see the current standings in the event.

  1. Rakharo: 264 pts ( _90 pts in R3_ )
  2. Jon Snow: 180.75 pts (Still to Ride)
  3. Robb Stark: 178.5 pts (Still to Ride)
  4. Drogo: 178 pts (Still to Ride)
  5. Daario Naharis (Still to Ride)
  6. Jhogo: 176.25 pts ( _88.5 pts in R3_ )
  7. Aggo: 176 pts ( _89 pts in R3_ )
  8. Daemon Allyrion: 174.75 pts (Still to Ride)
  9. Quentyn Martell: 174.5 pts (Still to Ride)
  10. Gendry Baratheon: 170 pts (NQR)
  11. Satin Rose: 87.25 pts (NQR)
  12. Grenn Mason: 87 pts (NQR)
  13. Loras Tyrell: 87 pts (NQR)
  14. Qotho: 85.25 pts (NQR)
  15. Andrey Dalt: 85 pts (NQR)



He nodded shakily as he saw the board. He was no longer first in the event table and just a qualified ride wouldn’t be enough to guarantee a jump back into first place. With 264 pts currently, Jon would need 83.25 pts to jump ahead of Rakharo. Jon knew that he would get _more_ than enough points if he managed to stick on Crosswired, but the problem was that there were 5 other riders waiting to still ride before Jon.

Jon was thinking that his 3 biggest threats were Naharis, Allyrion and Robb. Even if Drogo was the current number one and Quentyn was the number 5 rider, he didn’t fancy their chances on their respective bulls. Quentyn had already shown that he couldn’t keep up with Daenerys’ third best bull, so he didn’t fancy him on the second rankest. Drogon was a pure athletic monster. Drogo would last longer than most but Jon didn’t think he’d make the 8.

On the flipside, however, he knew that Daemon Allyrion was a talented rider from Dorne. He was the best of the Dornish, in Jon’s opinion, and only missed out on the top 5 due to early injury in the season back in January. He had come back a month ago and was finally starting to find his form once again. White Magic was a great bull and had bested many of the best riders in the past, but he was predictable. Once you had ridden him once or twice, it was easy to keep up with the bull the third time around. The result would depend on how well Daemon was familiar with his bull.

Naharis had already ridden his bull in the past and scored 89.75; and he only needed 86.75 pts to vault into first. Assuming if no other rider managed to take first place, that is.

Robb.

Jon didn’t know if Robb could ride his bull. Bruiser was a previous champion bull that had a buck off rate of over 85%. Robb was a great rider and athletic and slim. But Jon just didn’t think he had what it took to ride a bull of Bruiser’s caliber a year after their rookie season. Jon didn’t want to be a douche, but he considered himself the more able rider of the two and didn’t believe he could keep up with Bruiser’s strength.

Jon sighed as he walked over to the individual pens, his bull rope dragging behind him.

It was a harrowing walk, knowing what was at stake. He wondered if anything would come at the end of all this hard work. Would his sponsors see his worth and invite him as one of their riders at Iron Cowboy? It was two weeks away. Jon thought back to his brother Robb. Was he pushing this too far? And his uncle, Arthur. Would two weeks really convince Levi’s that he had what it took?

No. It realistically wasn’t. He had ridden his damn best in both rounds 1 and 2. He had gone out there and shown what he was capable of. He suddenly realized that he didn’t care if he rode his bull or not. He had nothing to prove. Not to anyone. And not to himself. He knew he had what it took. There was nothing he could do to change other’s minds about him except go out there every week and do what he could do best. Ride bulls.

That’s right. He had nothing to prove. Nothing at all. He didn’t start riding bulls because he needed people’s approval. He didn’t start riding bulls for some stupid sponsor’s acknowledgement. When had he started thinking himself better than everyone else? Better than his brother?

A hollow laugh escaped his lips as he continued walking.

-

He had finally reached the individual pens and he saw Robb and Drogo tying their ropes to their bulls. Naharis had just finished wrapping his as he was currently walked towards Jon, presumably to go out to the riding chutes. He obviously could care less about prepping his bull last minute as he walked towards Jon with nonchalance. He should have prepped his bull before the third seed of riders started.

Jon kept his eyes forward as he tried to locate Crosswired amongst the maze of individual pens.

“Look who it is. Mr. Rookie of the Year.”

Jon turned his gaze over to the blue-eyed man that was making his way towards him. Daario clapped him on the shoulder as they stood face to face with one another.

“So, going to right all your mistakes are you, big man?”

Jon looked at him with indifference.

“What mistakes?”

“You know what I mean, Snow. You chose Red Skull because he bucked you off last week in round 1. And now you chose Crosswired because he made you fly in last week’s Championship round. It’s obvious that you’re just putting up a front here. Trying to ride those bulls to convince people you belong here.”

Jon had prided himself in always being the bigger man. But damn if he didn’t want to slug Naharis in the face at the moment.

He didn’t. It wouldn’t do well to get disqualified from the event before his big ride.

“Maybe you didn’t notice, Naharis, but I _did_ ride my bulls. Both of them. And if you failed to notice, I beat you considerably in Round 2 less than an hour ago. And I’m still above you in the standings.”

The punchable smirk never dropped from Daario’s face as he responded.

“I did notice…but I also beat you in Round 1. Not considerably…but a win is a win. Am I right? And being above me for the moment doesn’t matter in the slightest if you don’t win the event. And even then, it still wouldn’t matter because I’m the world number 2 and you’re…what? 28? How cute?”

Jon sucked in a breath as he looked away.

“Look, Naharis…” he sighed, “I really don’t have time for this right now. I just want to prep my bull and get ready for the go round.”

Jon pushed his way past him.

“Hey, Snow! One more thing.”

Jon sighed as he turned around, placing his hands on his hips.

“What, Naharis?”

“You stay away from Daenerys.”

Jon scrunched up his face as he looked at the man in front of him.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I said stay away from Daenerys.”

Jon looked at him in disbelief.

“What? Are you her wrangler? Besides, if it really cooks your grits that much, then take it up with her. She’s the one that’s been talking to me. Not the other way around.”

“Well stay away from her, period. If she tries to talk to you, walk away.”

Jon shook his head in disbelief.

“I ain’t got time for this, Naharis.”

Jon was making his way a few steps before the dark angel whispered in his ear and he spun around.

“Hey, Naharis!” Jon called out to the man walking away.

The man in question turned around and gave him an expecting look.

“What is it, Snow?”

Jon debated if he should go through with his intentions or if he should tell the man to forget it and move on. Unfortunately, the dark angel whispered in his ear again.

“When you see Daenerys, tell her I’m sorry I didn’t pick one of her bulls this round.” Jon began to turn around but stopped. “Oh! And tell her thank you for the compliment about my Round 1 ride. I think I should’ve been at least 90, too.”

He could see Daario’s eyes narrow as his fist clenched.

Jon simply walked backwards with a shrug.

“You were right. You are second place.”

-

Naharis had cleared his bull. 90 points atop Silver and it had vaulted him ahead to the top of the standings. Drogo and Quentyn had both failed to clear their bulls, just as he predicted. Quentyn had only lasted above 3 seconds while Drogo lasted 4 atop Drogon. Drogo’s strength had helped in his ride, but it wasn’t enough against the large black bull.

Jon was currently resting atop his chute as he waited for Robb to ride. Because it was the Championship Round and Jon was the last rider of the night, he was given the luxury of waiting until after Robb was scored to begin getting ready atop Crosswired. The medium black bull was currently standing steadily still in his chute.

“Nerves getting to you, cowboy?”

Jon didn’t turn his head. He was used to being snuck up on by her, by now.

“I wouldn’t be a professional bull rider if nerves got to me, princess.”

“Well aren’t you just brimming with confidence” she said huskily into his ear.

Maybe shivers should have ran up and down his body, but all he could do was lean forward and away from her before angling his head to the side, seeing her through his peripheral.

“Nearly had him last week. I think it’s time I tie the score one all today.” Jon gestured his head down to the bull below him. “Don’t go crying on me if I fall off out there. You’ve only been a fan for about… half a day? Maybe a day.”

She looked at him oddly when he said those words. She turned her head down to the bull as she placed her hands atop the steel bars of the chute.

“You must be happy right about now” Jon continued, “, seeing as your 3 best bulls had a great showing. Other two didn’t do too bad either.”

Daenerys nodded as she looked back at him, her beautiful violet eyes brightened by the arena lights.

“If things end like this, then my bull helped a rider win an event. If it ends a different way, then my bulls still did well. High scores when ridden, high scores with their buck offs.”

Jon nodded as he looked back at the arena.

“Why didn’t you choose any of my bulls?”

Jon turned back to her but didn’t get a chance to respond as he heard the chutes open. Jon whipped his head around and saw Robb exiting atop Bruiser.

It wasn’t good. The bull had kicked strongly and had reached an angled vertical, immediately offsetting Robb from a balanced position. He shouldn’t have had a chance when Bruiser had decided to spin but Robb’s strength had given him just a half chance to remain on the bull. Well, on the bull was a relative sentence. He was actually hanging from the side.

A second and final kick was all it took for Robb to finally be flung off from the animal. 3.22 seconds was the official buck off time.

Jon shook his head at his brother’s performance. He wished he could’ve said it had gone different from his prediction but he just couldn’t. The moment his brother had said the bull’s name atop the makeshift stage, Jon fancied the bull’s odds better.

Not waiting for the bull score to come in, Jon began to slide down onto Crosswired’s back.

He stopped halfway when he felt a small hand on his arm.

“Why didn’t you choose one of my bulls?” She asked again with a firm voice.

He heard the bull’s score get announced over the stadium speakers. 47 points. The highest of the night. However, the current focus was on the woman in front of him. He didn’t know why she wanted to know so badly, but he guessed she had her reasons. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the time to explain to her his reasonings.

“I need to get ready” he said simply.

And he slid down onto Crosswired’s back. She frowned but didn’t bother him again.

Robb was currently heading towards the locker room and Grenn hadn’t returned. So, it was Podrick that had walked up to him and currently held the free rope of his bull rope.

The bull was currently positioned to leave the chutes spinning into Jon’s hand, but he knew not to commit his strategy on that thought. So, he opted to position his bull rope handle slightly to the right side of the bull’s spine. Too far right and he was screwed if the bull decided to buck and spin left, and Crosswired definitely had that capability. Too far to the left and Jon’s hand would be uncomfortable and he’d like snap his wrist if the bull spun him out.

He signaled for Podrick to pull on the free end to tighten his bull rope. Jon began to run his hand up and down the rope to spread more rosin but stopped midway. Podrick and Daenerys looked at him curiously at his paused frame.

He thought that he would need as much rosin as possible to hang onto the bull’s wild bucks, but he remembered how much rosin he had used last week and its result. Instead of flying off the bull and into the dirt, he had been stuck in his rope and had ended up with more damage.

Jon wiped the rest of the rosin residue on his glove onto his chaps before placing his gloved hand into the handle of his rope. He grabbed the free rope and began to wrap it twice around his hand. Once he was satisfied, Jon closed his fist and punched his fist to give a little bit more grip on his rope.

Daenerys looked down in worry as he slapped his face, harder than usual, before pressing down on his hat. Jon grabbed his mouthpiece from his vest and slipped it into his mouth. He didn’t want to go losing any teeth today.

Satisfied with all the precautions, Jon took a deep breath before sliding his groin up to his riding hand.

He squirmed on the bull for a bit before he found the position he was comfortable with.

Then.

He nodded.

The gates swung open and Crosswired spun right. They were harsh spins, not the smooth and fast ones of Viserion. Crosswired’s spins had small but effective kicks. Jon felt himself shifting with each one and he was wondering if he made a mistake by not applying more rosin to his rope.

Crosswired decided a contorted and high kick, and Jon was frightened at the flexibility of the animal’s body. He didn’t know what direction he would choose next, but he wished the bull had just chosen a direction to spin rather than the direction the bull decided to choose next.

He had never felt anything like this before. Not even last week when he was atop the same bull. Crosswired bent down on all his legs and sprang back up. Left and right then back and forth. Jon used all his strength in his right had as he struggled to keep his free hand from making contact with the bull. Crosswired took another launch on the air and Jon’s body was pulled forward as his chest nearly bounced on Crosswired’s hump.

The buzzer sounded and Jon quickly moved his hand to the tail end of his rope to free himself.

It was a mistake. The bull hadn’t stopped his erratic jumps and Jon had found himself flipping forward towards the bull’s shoulder. The bullfighters rushed in wildly as they put themselves in harm’s way to shield him from the bull’s horns. Jon rolled in whatever direction he could, not thinking of his situation as he didn’t know where in the Gods’ name the bull currently was. He needed to get out of the danger zone as soon as possible. He finally rolled onto his fours and began crawling to the audience fence. Halfway towards the fence, Jon began to stand up.

He was pushed back down. He heard the crowd gasp and scream as Crosswired barreled into Jon’s vested back with his horns. Jon experienced a bit of whiplash at the sudden movement, but the adrenaline kept him from staying stationary. He crawled away from the fence and it was only due to Greyworm jumping straight into Crosswired’s fact that saved Jon from further punishment. After about 10 seconds of further conflict, Crosswired had finally moved on from the bull fighters and took a few “victory” laps around the arena.

The crowd began to clap when Crosswired exited the arena and to his pen; and when Jon made it safely to his feet. A bull fighter ran to him to hand him both his bull rope and hat. There was no point on heading to the back of the chutes because Missandei, along with the camera crew, was already in the dirt arena. Even if he didn’t win, he may as well just wait for his scores to him in.

“Woah” the announcer called out over the intercom, “Woah. What a bull ride folks. What. A. Bull. Ride.”

He could barely be heard as the crowd was still clapping and began to cheer for Jon. He didn’t speak until the crowd calmed a bit.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am awaiting the score as I speak. He needs eighty-six and three-quarter (86.75) points to win the event. His first event of the year. Jon Snow has not won an event since last season. Eighty-six and three-quarters. That’s all he needs to change that.”

The crowd waited with bated breaths. Jon sucked a breath of his own through his teeth.

“They’re coming. They’re coming. Ladies and gentlemen, they’re here!”

Jon’s breath hitched.

“This is what they’re telling me… NINETY-THREE AND THREE-QUARTER POINTS (93.75)!”

The crowd exploded as confetti popped and began to rain down onto Jon’s head. Missandei and her cameraman moved quickly towards Jon and the gatekeeper and staff men and bull fighters and riders all began to clap Jon on his back.

Jon smiled dumbly at each person to congratulate him and a two men holding a poster board size check, of 25,000 dragons, stood close to him. Missandei walked up to him with a beautiful and bright smile as Jon began to unwrap the tape around his glove. He had already taken out his mouth guard and had unzipped his vest.

“Jon! Jon!”

Jon smiled at her when she stopped a foot away from him.

“Jon, you just won your first event of the year. A big, big, _big_ showing this week in Stonehelm. Eighty-nine and three-quarters in Round 1. And _two_ ninety point rides today. Ninety-two and a half points on Red Skull and ninety-three and three-quarter points on Crosswired. How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling _great_ , Missandei. I came into this event with the intention of winning this event and to make it happen is just so damn unreal.”

Missandei giggled at his words.

“Now, the question everyone wants to know is why. Why did you choose the two bulls that bucked you off last week? And why choose the bull that sent you to Doctor Luwin?”

“Well, Missandei, that’s actually an easy question for me. I just really wanted payback. No better payback against a bull that bucked you off than riding it for all 8 seconds.”

Missandei nodded at his words.

“Ok” she started “now onto the big question. Do you think you’re making Iron Cowboy in two weeks at Harrenhal?”

Jon blew a raspberry and looked up at her.

“I sure hope so, Missandei. I sure hope so.”

They both chuckled at his response and Missandei backed away to allow the two men from earlier to hand Jon the check.

And as Jon was on top of the world, he failed to see a silver haired woman clapping for him with a tight-lipped smile.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How I wanted to describe Jon's ride atop Crosswired:  
> 'JB Mauney vs Crosswired'  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rTaasXqBBg&t=21s


	5. Roadhouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon makes a decision at the end of Stonehelm and has dinner with a familial person along with another surprise guest.
> 
> The drawings for Iron Cowboy come in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no beta so bear with any grammar/spelling mistake. I will try to fix it later.

“Jon! You did it! I know you could do it!”

Jon smiled as he knelt down in order to receive the red-haired missile into his arms.

He was on his way to the bus that led back to his hotel when he saw Robb talking with their family. Robb hadn’t talked to him since before the Championship Round had started, so Jon had decided to keep his distance to give his brother time to cool down.

Today was the first time that they had been in a position where both brothers were competing against one another for the buckle, directly. At the end it was Jon against Daario but the thought of missing out no doubt stung his brother. Jon knew he’d feel the same if they had swapped positions.

He was fully prepared to wait to talk to him until after they had finished signing autographs and had settled back at their rented room, but now he’d have to try and keep conversation to a minimum seeing as he wasn’t about to ignore his family.

That’s exactly the moment his youngest brother had seen him and had bolted straight for him. Jon hadn’t seen him since he had left home for the start of the season back in January. Nearly two months without seeing his entire family, really, and he was completely surprised at how much his little brother had grown in that short time span. Or maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him, but Jon was sure that little Rickon was a little taller now.

“You came all the way out here to see me compete, little man?” Jon teased his little brother.

“Uh, huh. Dad said we were gonna surprise you guys and we flew out first thing yesterday morning.”

Jon turned to his father with a questioning gaze.

“Yesterday morning? You guys should’ve arrived around noon or so. Why didn’t you guys tell us?”

Eddard Stark looked at him with kind grey eyes. They were almost similar in hue, but Jon’s had always been darker. His aunt, Lyanna, had the lightest shade of grey out of all the Starks.

“I didn’t want to distract you two or ruin your chances by adding more pressure knowing that we were here. I know how anxious you to get to prove yourself in front of family. I think it ended up working.”

Jon shook his head at his father’s words while Robb remained silent. Jon could see a woman of similar auburn hair and an all too familiar height standing next to his brother. Catelyn Stark.

If Daenerys Targaryen was to be the founder of Jon’s fan club then Catelyn Stark was certain to be the president of his fan club’s opposing party. He had never been in the woman’s good graces, but he guessed he could understand when he was the proof of her husband’s infidelity. Another story for another time but the short story was that his mother and Catelyn Stark did not get on.

“You shouldn’t have. We would’ve ridden just the same tonight.”

“You were nearly trampled” his sister, Sansa, said dryly.

Jon turned to his eldest sister. A disciple of Catelyn Stark, she was true in following her mother’s footsteps. Beautiful, intelligent and not his best friend. She would always post on her social media about how Robb was the most talented Stark in the family’s history of bull riders. He supposed he shouldn’t have been offended seeing as he technically wasn’t a Stark and Robb _was_ currently ahead of him in the standings by around 13 positions. Robb was ranked 15th while Jon was ranked 28th.

“But I didn’t” Jon replied coolly. “I managed to ride all my bulls and won the overall event. Two 90 point rides today, little sister.”

Sansa simply sneered as she turned her head away from him. Still, Jon felt a little terrible about throwing his brother under the bus.

“Even still,” Jon said, “Robb did his damn best out there. He won Round 2 and hung onto Bruiser for as long as he could. He should have been done the moment he was off thrown off balance early into the ride, but he used that handsome strength of his to hand on just a while longer.”

Robb looked at him with a curious look in his eye and the beginnings of a smile began to form on his lips. However, Rickon wasn’t having it.

“He still fell off. You suck, Robb.”

Rickon had a serious look in his grey eyes as he said it.

Ned put a stern hand on his youngest’s shoulder while a glum look appeared on Robb’s face and Catelyn turned a sharp glare to him. In his defense, he had nothing to do with his brother’s words. Jon was completely clean in this situation.

“Hey, little man” Jon said to him, “that isn’t nice. Robb tried his best out there. Remember that Bruiser is a World Champion Bucking Bull.”

“Former” Rickon countered. “The World Champion is Code Blue. Bruiser isn’t in his prime anymore. He’s already been ridden twice this year since the season started back in January.”

Jon sighed at the truth in his words. Bruiser wasn’t the same bull that had won the world title two seasons ago. Hell, he wasn’t the same bull _one_ season ago when he lost his crown to Code Blue. It was probably about time to begin thinking of his retirement. However, that decision rested solely with the bull’s owner, Stannis Baratheon.

“Still a champion” Robb muttered from above them.

“A dying champion… OW!”

Eddard had pinched his son’s ear and given him a stern look.

“All right, all right…” Rickon muttered. “Sorry, Robb.”

Robb had nodded at his brother’s “earnest” apology.

“You just chose a bull you couldn’t ride, that’s all.”

Jon bit his lip in order to stop his laughing but unfortunately whimpers could still be heard. Their father had just sighed. Rickon was always the unruliest of all his children, even more so than his little Arya. He supposed there was just living with it and hoping his son would grow a filter as time passed.

“Jon!”

Everyone turned around to the feminine voice they heard, however everyone already knew its owner.

Their father froze in place while Catelyn and Sansa gave the woman a spiteful glare. Robb only looked on in indifference before making an excuse to go and meet up with the fans. Rickon beamed up at the woman while Jon looked on in fear.

“Aunt Ashara!”

Rickon let go of Jon and bounded over to Jon’s mother.

“Aunt Ashara! What are you doing here?”

Ashara looked down at the small boy with kind, violet eyes. Her lustrous black hair cascading in waves down her back and shoulders.

“Hello, Rickon. Did you really come all the way out here to see my son ride bulls?”

The young boy nodded his head furiously at the woman.

“Uh huh. I had to see Jon ride on TV yesterday in the hotel because Dad didn’t want us to distract Robb and Jon from riding.”

Ashara flicked her eyes up towards his father before looking back down at Rickon.

“Well, that was a rather bad idea. I think you bring nothing but good luck to whoever you meet.”

Rickon’s eyes brightened and he turned over to his father to nod his head furiously. Ashara patted Rickon’s back before standing up.

“Rickon” she said, “why don’t you give me and Jon some time to talk. Alone.”

Jon felt his blood run cold and he began to pray that his brother would stay close by.

Rickon scrunched up his face in order to ponder before giving her a bright smile.

“Ok! Come on Dad, I want to see Code Blue.”

Ned looked down at his son in hesitation. It was clear that he wanted to stay to talk to Jon…’s mother. Catelyn saw the window of opportunity.

“Of course, Rickon.” She turned to her husband. “Come Ned.”

Ned glanced over to Ashara, but her deadly eyes never left Jon. He sighed before nodding towards his family.

“Aye…let’s go. I’ve got to check up on our bulls, anyways.”

They had walked out of sight and Jon felt the doors of hell closing down on him.

“So… did you see my ride on Cross-”

She smacked him and Jon felt his world turn black.

_Hello darkness, my old friend…_

“Ahh! Mom, what the hell?!”

He turned to see his mom looking back at him with a furious gaze. The same anger she held within her violet pools was the anger that was currently beginning to bubble within Jon’s body.

“I called Doctor Luwin” she hissed. Angry tears began to build at the corner of her eyes. “He said that he recommended you take an entire month off.”

Jon’s anger began to subside at the sight of the tears in his mother’s eyes.

“What about it?” he sighed.

“What about it? You told me that you were fine! That the doctor only recommended a week off and that you’d be fine competing this week since the damage was minimal.”

“Ok, so I lied. So what? I won today.”

“And you were nearly trampled by the same bull that ruined you last week!”

Jon sighed as he began to move past her.

“Listen, I can’t do this right now. I have to go and meet up with the fans outside and ride the bus to the hotel.”

He could already imagine the hurt look on his mother’s face and guilt began to form within the pits of his stomach.

“Listen” he said, “I’m free tonight. We can go somewhere and talk later. That all right?”

She looked at him with hopeful eyes and nodded, wiping the tears away from her eyes.

“Yes. That’s all right.”

He smiled at her.

“All right then. I’ll meet you then.”

-

“I just don’t know why you need such a big truck as your vehicle” Ashara whined.

Jon chuckled as they arrived at the doors of a local roadhouse. It was an average sized place with an exterior balcony where people went to dance. The outside had its own stage where a band would play music for the guests.

Jon held the door open for his mother as they walked into the establishment. It was nice and cozy with the lights dimmed. He could see the exterior patio at the back of the restaurant through the large clear windows. It was lit nicely by the rows of hanging bulb lights.

Suddenly, a hostess approached the pair and asked them how many guests were attending.

“Two” Jon responded, “and can you get us a booth. My mom prefers those to tables.”

An embarrassed flush crept up Ashara’s face as she playfully smacked her son’s shoulder.

A weird look crossed the hostess’ face before she nodded and signaled for a waitress to take them over to one of the free booths by the window looking out to the patio. As they followed the waitress, he overheard the hostess whispering loudly to one of her friends.

“Did you hear him say she’s his mom?! What the hell. I hope I look half as good as that when I reach her age.”

Either his mother didn’t hear, or she pretended not to as she followed the waitress with an oblivious expression.

“Can I get you two started with something to drink?” The waitress asked both mother and son.

“I’ll have a lemonade” Ashara said to the waitress.

Both turned to Jon as he mulled it over.

“Coke. Light ice.”

The waitress nodded as she headed towards the back to get their drinks. Jon picked up his menu and looked up to see his mother looking at him with a raised brow.

“What?” Jon questioned. “I need to drive.”

Ashara smiled down at him.

“Yes…” she said smoothly, “which brings me back to my question. Why do you need that large and ugly thing?”

Jon rolled his eyes.

“My _truck_ is not ugly. And you know why I need it. Me and Robb take turns hauling the bulls from event to event.”

“Is that going to be your new excuse as to why you didn’t come straight home after last week?”

“No, it’s just a simple fact that you’re already aware of. Robb offered to haul Dad’s bulls for the next three weeks. Until after the time Luwin originally gave me.”

His mother hummed at that in displeasure.

“You shouldn’t even be driving. You should’ve come home to Starfall the moment Luwin released you from Sports Medicine. Gods, if I had known the path you would choose when I let you live with your father when you were younger, I never would’ve allowed it!”

“If you hadn’t let me live with Dad when I was younger, then I wouldn’t have been as close to my siblings as I am right now. That’s the reason you let me live with him, remember?”

Ashara sighed as she nodded.

“I know, it’s just…couldn’t you have been a rancher instead? Why did you need to go off and ride bulls?”

Jon smiled. She always complained about his lifestyle and career. It was annoying at the beginning, but he had learned to get used to it.

“I don’t know” he shrugged. “I just like riding bulls. You know what you want to order yet?”

Ashara huffed as she picked up her menu and raked her eyes over it. The waitress had come back with their drinks.

“Here you are. One lemonade and one coke, light ice. You two ready to order?”

Jon shook his head.

“Give us a few minutes, please.”

The waitress nodded as she gave him a long smile before walking off.

“Looks like you have an admirer” his mother said with a knowing smirk.

“I do?”

Ashara simply gave him a deadpan stare. She shook her head as she muttered the word “clueless” under her breath.

“Aunt Ashara.”

His mother smiled brightly as she located the source while Jon turned around in confusion.

_What was she doing here?_

“Dany” Ashara called out. “What a surprise.”

She stood up from her booth to embrace the silver haired woman. Jon looked on in confusion at the comfort and closeness of the two woman in front of him.

They broke the hug and Daenerys turned to him with her eyes. They were violet, just like his mother’s but they were bright and vibrant whereas his mother’s eyes were hauntingly and beautifully dull.

“Hey there, cowboy.”

Ashara looked curiously at the two.

“You two know each other?”

Jon was on the verge of shaking his head when Daenerys beat him to the punch.

“Yes. We met yesterday when his friend chose one of my bulls to ride.”

“Oh. Then you two don’t know each other that well? Then why don’t you sit down with us and join us?”

“I’m sure she’s here with friends of her own, mom” Jon cut in.

His mother pouted at him while Daenerys looked down at him with a raised brow.

“Actually” Daenerys said, “I’m not here with anyone.”

“You see” Ashara told him, “she’s not busy.”

Jon gave his mother a smile before giving the same one to Daenerys. She returned it.

“Of course” he nodded.

Jon stood up from his seat and held a hand for her to take in order to move comfortably into the booth seat next to him. He began to wonder if she would perhaps prefer to sit next to his mother, in order to help her into that seat but she had quickly taken his hand and began to move to the inside of the seat next to him. He didn’t think much of it.

“So, I already know what I want to order, so you can have my menu, Dany.”

Ashara gave her menu to Daenerys and then began to drum on the table with her fingers.

“Thank you, Aunt Ashara.”

_Aunt? Did that mean they were related?_

He’d never heard of her before other than that she was related to his cousin, Aemon, who was Lyanna and Rhaegar’s son.

Daenerys put a finger on her chin as she looked over the menu.

“Hmm…I’m thinking I’ll have a coke with a nice and juicy steak.”

His hand moved before his brain even thought properly. He had pushed his glass in front of her.

“Have mine” he told her, “I haven’t drunk from it yet. I’ll just order one when the waitress comes back.”

She nodded gratefully, taking the drink and bringing it up to her lips.

His mother flitted her eyes between them before looking up at the TV in the corner.

-

“So, let me get this straight. You ignored the doctor’s orders because you wanted to convince your sponsors you were good enough for Iron Cowboy?”

Daenerys laughed at his explanation for competing while his mother shook her head in annoyance.

“Yes, I thought that if I won this week that it’d be enough to convince Levi’s to let me ride in Summerhall.”

“You’re something else, cowboy. I don’t think anyone would put their body through more hell with only two weeks to convince their sponsor they had what it took.”

She was giggling at the ludicrousness of the situation.

Jon could only laugh in return at his foolishness.

“Yeah, I realized that pretty late.”

Both women turned to him.

“What do you mean?” his mother questioned with a hopeful look in her eyes. Daenerys had a look he could not place, but he could almost describe it as…unhappy?

“It means I ain’t riding in Blackhaven. I’m taking a break. If winning today ain’t enough to convince my sponsor I’ve got what it takes, then I’m not gonna risk my body again only to be shafted a week before Iron Cowboy.”

His mother clapped her hands together while Daenerys remained silent beside him.

“That’s a smart decision” his mother said.

“Don’t get ahead of your horses, mom. If they come to me and tell me to ride then I will, but I’m still going to be around. I’m not heading home because I’m going to help Robb prepare as much. Plus, I like being on the road.”

His mother frowned at his words but nodded as she realized it was the best he would offer her. Meanwhile, a small smile broke on Daenerys’ face.

Jon had finished the burger he had ordered and moved onto the small plate of chicken wings. He had offered some to the woman sitting by him and she was all too happy to take him up on his offer. When she moved in close, the familiar scent of citrus and vanilla hit his nose. He didn’t know if it was being creepy or not, but he had to know.

“What’s that perfume you have on?”

She turned to him with a questioning gaze.

“I got a faint smell of it yesterday at the bar. It’s a nice smell.”

“Oh” she responded with a slight smile, “it’s, The One, by Dolce and Gabbana.”

He nodded at her and later noticed a faint redness appear on her cheeks under the faint light. Was she burning up?

“Hey, you want me to ask them to turn on the air-conditioning? Your face is all red. You’re not running a fever, are you?”

The redness in her cheeks had subsided and she stared at him dumbly. Ashara sighed and excuses herself to the restroom.

“Uhm…no. I feel quite fine.”

Jon stared at her.

“Oh.”

An awkward silence had possessed the atmosphere as they ate the last of the chicken wings. She moved her eyes to his neck several times and she kept them there for periods of time, almost as if debating whether to speak up or not.

However, she never spoke. Instead, she suddenly leaned into him, placing a hand over his arm as she smelled his neck.

He flinched slightly at the sudden movement and he could feel his blood rushing to his face. He must have been as red as she was just a few moments ago.

“What are you doing?!”

“I wanted to know what you smelled like tonight, since you know what I smell like tonight and that it was the same fragrance as last night.”

She looked up at him with her violet eyes and they stared at one another for seconds.

“I smell citrus, incense and a bit of wood” she whispered. “I like it…”

They continued to stare into each other’s eyes. Violet and Dark Iron.

He took another sip of his coke but the dryness in his mouth persisted.

“Chanel” he said. “Bleu de Chanel” he rectified, “is what I wear. Only on nights like these. No point in wasting it while I’m sweating at the rodeo.”

She nodded at his words in agreement.

_“I’ve been cheated, been mistreated,_

_When will I be loved?”_

Jon looked away from her and out towards the patio where the final remnants of the night were taking place. The beginnings of the song by Vince Gill playing from the band and inside the speakers of the roadhouse.

_“I’ve been put down,_

_I’ve been pushed ‘round,_

_When will I be loved?”_

“It’s getting late” he said suddenly. “I should take mom back to her hotel. She’s staying in a different one than I am…”

She nodded with a disappointed look on her face. He turned towards the restrooms, expecting to see his mom coming out towards them any seconds. However, she was leaning against the hallway as she stared back at him. He gave her a questioning look, but she simply nodded her head in Daenerys’ direction.

He angled his head to the woman sitting next to him and he saw her drumming her fingers on the table as she looked out to the patio, where a few people were slow dancing.

_“I’ve been made blue,_

_I’ve been lied to,_

_When will I be loved?”_

“You know…” she turned to him, “I don’t know much about dancing. But I really like this song and I don’t want to go out there alone. You want to join me?”

Her violet eyes sparkled in the light as she stared at him before she nodded her head with a beautiful smile on her face.

Ashara smiled as her son led her honorary “niece” out to the patio.

-

“Keep your butt tucked under you, Rickon. Don’t just waive your hand wildly in the air. You need it for balance.”

“Ok, Jon. Like this?”

His brother looked up at him cutely with his greyish blue eyes. His eyes’ shade was due to a codominance between his mother and father. Sansa, Robb and Bran were the carbon copies of the Tully look while Arya retained the visage and eye color of a Stark. Rickon had a dark auburn tint to his hair and a mix between the Tully blue and Stark grey in his eyes.

“Yup, just like that. Now, keep your little groin close to your riding hand and stay away from the flank rope at the back.”

Jon was currently teaching Rickon how to ride on a miniature and stationary bull dummy.

“Why?”

“Because if you’re not close to your riding hand when the bull decides to spin or buck, then you can kiss your seat on him goodbye and it’s over. So, keep that groin to your hand.”

“Hey, Jon…what’s a groin?”

“You’re wee-wee” Jon replied simply.

“Oh” Rickon nodded. “But, wait. Won’t it hurt if I keep it close to my wee-wee?”

“To your _groin_.”

“Groin” Rickon repeated.

“And no. Because when the bull spins, your body wants to fly back. That’s why I want you to eat your vegetables, so that you can grow strong and hold onto your rope.”

Rickon grumbled at his words.

“Now, when the bull kicks up, that’s when you’ll move towards your groin and yes, that would hurt. BUT. That’s where your feet come in.”

“My feet?” His brother had an adorable questioning look.

“That’s right, little man. Your feet. As soon as the bull leaves the chute, I want you to use your feet and dig them into the bull’s stomach with your toes pointing out. That’ll give you grip and help as the bull kicks up. When the bull is spinning, use your outside foot to spur him.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means if the bull is spinning left, then your left foot is inside. Meaning that you want to use your right foot to spur him and keep your left foot tucked in. If he’s spinning right, then spur him with your left.”

Rickon nodded at his brothers words, showing him the motions that Jon had just described.

“Good” Jon told him, “keep at it.”

They practiced the maneuvers for a while longer until Catelyn came asking for Rickon to join them for dinner.

“Against my wishes, my husband has asked you to join us for dinner” she bit out to Jon.

“Alright” he responded simply. “I’ll be there.”

His phone started ringing.

“Ah. Sorry Catelyn, I need to take this.”

She nodded with a glare before walking off.

It was a sort of lie. He didn’t need to take the call seeing as he didn’t really know who it was. But when he saw who was contacting him…

He knew he had to take it.

-

Jon walked numbly inside the restaurant his brother had texted him. He couldn’t remember telling the hostess that he was here to meet the Starks or the time it took him to walk to the table and take the seat between his little brother and sister, Arya. He had thought she had been in college, just as Bran, but he still didn’t take notice of her.

“Jon” his father said worriedly, “What’s wrong?”

Everyone at the table stared at him as he let them know the news.

“I made it…”

“Made what?” Robb asked.

“Iron Cowboy. I made Iron Cowboy! Levi’s called me and they told me that they wanted me to be their fourth rider.”

Rickon shouted in glee as a smile broke over Robb and Arya’s face.

“That’s great Jon! You deserve it” Arya congratulated him.

Jon turned a curious look over to her.

“Arya? What the hell. When did you get here? Why didn’t I see you yesterday after the event was over?”

Arya suddenly looked away from him.

“Oh…uhm. I was…”

“She was with Gendry. Probably doing the kissy kissy” Rickon cut in.

“Shut up! I wasn’t doing anything like that!”

“Alright, alright. Rickon, don’t tease your sister. Arya, you better not be kissing that boy” Eddard had told them seriously.

Arya rolled her eyes.

“Dad, I’m 17.”

“I don’t care. You’ll always be my little girl.”

Robb decided to end the family drama before it escalated.

“That’s great to hear, Jon. I guess putting your body through hell had a payoff. What’d they say exactly?”

Jon was happy that Robb wasn’t burned over yesterday’s results anymore. They were brothers and they needed to stick with each other.

“Levi’s called me and asked me if I had any plans next week or the week after that. I told them I planned on taking Blackhaven off. They said that they were happy to hear that and that they wanted me to be their fourth rider at the event. I could hardly believe it.”

“That’s great. Know who their fifth rider will be?”

Suddenly a serious look crossed Jon’s face.

“You mean…you don’t know?”

“Know what?” Robb asked curiously.

“They cut down our riders down to four.”

“What? They already punished Levi’s enough with only 5. They cut it down again?”

Eddard looked at both his boys as they talked.

“Yeah” Jon told him, “again. But that’s not it. They cut down the even from 30 riders down to 24.”

“What?!” This time it was Robb and Arya that were surprised.

“They didn’t tell me why, but that they were shortening the list. Not only that, but Ford withdrew their sponsor spots and took one away from Levi’s in order to have only 24 riders.”

“Damn” Robb said, “did they say anything about DeWalt or Monster?”

Jon nodded.

“DeWalt and Monster keep their 10 slots. Seems Levi’s really disappointed last season.”

Robb turned to their father.

“Dad, did you know about this?”

Eddard nodded his head.

“Aye. They called me early last Monday to inform me. They told me that they already had most of the slots filled and only needed four bulls for the event. My rankest ones for the last few rounds. I didn’t say anything because I thought you two boys would have already known.”

His sons nodded at his explanation.

“Four rankest bulls…” Robb said.

“That’s easy. Our best three are Ice…” Jon continued.

“Wipe Out” Arya picked off.

“White Magic…” Rickon chirped.

“…and Air Time!” The two bull riders finished off.

Eddard smiled at his family bonding over his bulls’ involvement in the sport. Catelyn and Sansa simply ignored the conversation as they began to talk about…whatever women talked about.

The family began to eat when Rickon suddenly asked them what Iron Cowboy was. He kept hearing about it and knew that it was big, but he didn’t really understand.

“Iron Cowboy is one of the three main events of the WPBR” Eddard informed his son kindly, “and causes a heavy strain on the body. 24 riders competing against one another until only one remains victorious.”

“But how is it so different? Isn’t it the same as any event?”

Jon shook his head fondly at his brother’s naivety.

“No” Jon said, “Iron Cowboy is only one night rather than a series like most events.” Robb nodded at Jon’s words. “In Iron cowboy, riders are pitted against one another and they compete to move on.”

“Like an elimination” Rickon asked excitedly.

“Yes” Robb smiled. “Exactly like an elimination.”

“So…whoever has the best score moves on?”

“Mmm…usually…” Jon responded.

“Usually? Like not all the time?”

Arya answered her brother this time.

“Not always. The true nature of Iron Cowboy is to see who lasts the longest on their bulls. So, lets say Jon and Robb were riding against each other. If Jon falls off at 4 seconds and Robb falls off at 3, then Jon moves on. If they both make it, then whoever has the highest score wins.”

“What if they both score the same or fall off at the same time?”

“It’s rare for both of them to fall off at the same time” Eddard said in a soft voice.

“Ok…but what _if_ they did fall off at the same time?”

“Then it would be decided on which bull has the highest score. If Robb’s bull was scored higher than Jon’s, then Robb had the harder ride and moves on.”

“Ok…so what if the bulls also have the same score?”

“That’s never happened” Arya said irritably.

“Ok…but what _if_?”

Jon and Robb chuckled.

“Then whoever is ranked higher in the standings moves on. In this case, Robb” Eddard said. “If they ride and score the same, then it goes to whoever had the better individual score. If they both have the same individual score, then their rank decides who wins.”

Rickon nodded at all the information.

“Wow… so cool. But who rides Code Blue? He’s the best in the world and it isn’t fair for one rider to draw him while the other guy gets an easier bull.”

“Code Blue isn’t part of the tournament” Eddard informed him.

“What?!” Rickon was outraged. “But he’s the best! He’s the champion.”

The entire family laughed at Rickon’s outburst. It was no secret that the boy was a Code Blue fanboy.

“Don’t worry” Eddard chuckled, “he’ll be there. He just isn’t part of the normal tournament. He’s the prize.”

“The prize?” They all, sans Catelyn and Sansa, asked him.

“Yes, the prize. Whoever wins the Iron Cowboy gets a shot at riding Code Blue.”

“Why would we want a shot at riding Code Blue?” Robb questioned.

“Yeah, he’s the best. After an entire night of nothing but riding, I doubt anyone would want to face the world champ after all that.” Jon said.

Eddard simply laughed at their words and went back to eating.

The brothers looked at one another as they tried to decipher the meaning behind their father’s words.

-

“ONE MILLION?!”

Robb and Jon looked in shock as they checked the news on their phone. One million dollars to the rider that could hang onto Code Blue for 8 seconds.

“Holy shit…” Jon said. “Holy shit… One million.”

“That’s the money the World Champion rider gets after the season is over. You mean the winner at Iron Cowboy can win 250,000 golden dragons and a chance at a million in the same night?”

Robb was practically frothing at his mouth.

“You make it sound so simple” Jon told him. “Code Blue is the best in the world right now. Ain’t nobody riding him after riding for about 32 seconds of other bulls.”

Robb nodded grudgingly at his words. He later got a pondering look on his face.

“You really think he’s the best? I don’t know…our Air Time is a beast in his own and that Daenerys’ bull is a mighty fine specimen. Drogon, ain’t it?”

“Yeah” Jon answered him. “Drogon is one mean son of a gun. But still, I think Code Blue is better.”

“Hey…you ever notice that Drogon looks like the name Drogo but with an “n” at the end?”

Jon shook his head at his brother’s observation.

“Not really. Why?”

Robb shrugged at him.

“I’m just saying that Daenerys seems to be real _good_ friends with Drogo; and she happens to have a bull named similarly to him when her other two bulls are named after two people close to her. Her brothers Rhaegar and Viserys.”

Jon cupped his chin as he looked up at the ceiling. He later shrugged dismissively.

“Oh well” Robb continued, “I just think that Drogon or Air Time might give Code Blue a run for his money.

“NO WAY!”

They turned their head to see Rickon marching to them.

“Uh oh…the president of the Code Blue fan club is here” Robb muttered under his breath.

“Drogon and Air Time are good but nowhere near Code Blue’s greatness. Code Blue is not only athletic, but he’s fast, strong and quick!”

“When’s the wedding?” Jon quipped.

Rickon ignored him.

“You two can kiss that million goodbye. _No one_ is riding Code Blue.”

Rickon walked off as his brothers rolled their eyes at his departing figure.

“Who’s going to tell him that bulls usually don’t retain their title in back to back season?”

Jon turned to his brother.

“He’ll figure it out eventually. Let him think that Code Blue is a God for the time being.”

Their phones buzzed and Jon and Robb pulled out their phones. Both brothers stared at their phones before they looked up at one another.

“Looks like the tournament brackets are out…” Robb said.

“Yeah…” Jon replied. “Check it on three?”

Robb looked at him and nodded.

“Yeah…on three” Robb replied.

“One…Two…Three.”

Both men opened the document sent to them by the WPBR management. They stared at it before looking up at one another.

“Huh…on opposite sides of the bracket…” Robb told him.

Jon nodded his head.

Robb got up and patted his brother on his shoulder.

“Guess we’ll see each other in the final head-to-head.”

“Yeah. Definitely” Jon agreed with a smile.

Robb began to make his way back to the dinner table.

“Coming with?” Robb asked him.

Jon shook his head.

“You go on ahead…I’m going to stay out here for a while.”

Robb nodded his head and walked off.

Jon sat in the lounge of the restaurant and re-read the document he had received.

_24 riders to compete at Iron Cowboy._

_Riders will be placed by their respective ranking._

_ Monster Energy Riders (10): _

_-Daario Naharis – 2 nd_

_-Yron Emmet – 3 rd_

_-Quentyn Martell – 5 th_

_-Loras Tyrell – 6 th_

_-Aegon Targaryen – 10 th_

_-Daemon Allyrion – 11 th_

_-Gerold Dayne – 12 th_

_-Aerys Oakheart – 15 th_

_-Ramsay Bolton – 21 st_

_-Theon Greyjoy – 23 rd_

_DeWalt Riders (10):_

_-Drogo – 1 st_

_-Rakharo – 7 th_

_-Qotho – 8 th_

_-Aggo – 9 th_

_-Robb Stark – 13 th_

_-Grenn Mason – 14 th_

_-Jhogo – 16 th_

_-Domeric Bolton – 19 th _

_-Toregg Gianstbane – 20 th_

_-Podrick Payne – 24 th_

_Levi’s Riders (4):_

_-Asher Forrester – 4 th_

_-Sigorn Thenn – 17 th_

_-Roderick Forrester – 18 th_

_-Jon Snow – 22 nd_

So, that’s how it was? Jon traced his line and his path to victory. It wouldn’t be easy, but then again…he hadn’t expected it to be. His first opponent was a damn tough one. But to be the best, you needed to beat the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics at the roadhouse were to 'Vince Gill - When Will I Be Loved?', a song I first listened to in the movie, '8 Seconds'.
> 
> Spent the entire day yesterday editing the tournament bracket and trying to find a way to pair each rider with their bull. As you read, the Starks own their own bulls and we know that Stannis owns one. (We also know the ones that Daenerys owns). Who could possibly own World Champion, Code Blue?
> 
> I hope I successfully gave a little more explanation on how to a rider rides their bulls.


	6. Iron Cowboy Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iron Cowboy Starts
> 
> Jon becomes enlightened to the people...women...around him.

“The current leader in the world standings…Drogo!”

Rambunctious cheering overtook the stadium.

“Second only to the previous man…Daario Naharis!”

Another roar in the stadium erupted as the number two in the world walked up to the makeshift stage in the middle of the dirt arena.

Two weeks had passed since Jon received the phone call and the time had finally arrived. The third largest event of the sport had final started.

The annual Iron Cowboy.

It had been quite nerve-racking during those two weeks. His uncle, Arthur, had been training him constantly during Jon’s free time. Nearly every minute that Jon wasn’t busy helping Robb, Arthur was torturing him on the mechanical bull. Many different settings, Arthur had been coding the mechanical bull’s movements after the bulls Jon would face at Iron Cowboy.

It was more of a comfort for Arthur than for Jon, in his opinion, because the mechanical bull only worked in theory. Sure, it would help Jon deal with maneuvers that the bulls he would ride would make, but no bull bucked the same way every time. There was no guarantee that a bull would repeat a known maneuver on his next bucking. It was much more viable for Jon to just go and practice as he’d always done.

“Right behind him…Asher Forrester!”

Jon had droned out the announcer for a just a second and had missed the world number three, Yron Emmet, being called on stage. Jon tweaked his head a bit and saw his brother standing between Gerold Dayne and Grenn. Had this been any other event, Jon would have been jealous but comparing his path to the final and Robb’s…Jon felt like he had drawn a better straw.

“Quentyn Martell!”

Jon was standing 22nd in line of the 24 riders that were competing today. He would’ve loved to have been 22nd in the world standings, but he had only jumped into 25th place after the event in Stonehelm. He was only 22nd because a few of the higher ranked riders weren’t invited by their sponsor. He found it funny that he had managed to jump ahead of Theon in the world standings. Theon had also tried to regain his superiority over Jon in Blackhaven but had struck out on all his bulls.

“Loras Tyrell!”

The world number six was making his way on stage. He also happened to be the man that Jon would face after he defeated his first opponent, the world number eleven, Daemon Allyrion. There was also the fact that Loras was the first openly gay rider on tour but that was nothing but that was irrelevant information to Jon. He knew that a few riders avoided the man like the plague behind the scenes but he was a damn good rider, in Jon’s earnest opinion.

On his day, there wasn’t a rider that could make their ride look flawless. His form and balance were impeccable. But…it was also no secret that he tended to avoid the ranker bulls. When he did face one of the top 10 bulls currently competing, Loras had been bucked off rather quickly. Jon tried to recall a ride where Loras made it past 5 seconds on one of the rank ones. He couldn’t.

“Rakharo!”

A rider from Essos. Vaes Dothrak to be exact. He, along with many of the other riders on tour, came from the same area as Drogo. And though they paled in comparison next to the world number one, the Dothraki riders could match the Westerosi riders head to head. Jon was surprised that Rakharo wasn’t ranked higher in the standings, he was a beast in riding ability and talent.

“Qotho!”

Another rider from Vaes Dothrak.

“Aggo!”

Another one.

“Aegon Targaryen!”

It was mainly women that began to scream in the stands. The son of Rhaegar Targaryen and half-brother to Jon’s cousin, Aemon. He had never met the other side of his cousin’s family. He had only met his aunt and cousin when they came to visit up in the north. Rhaegar never accompanied them. And neither did his other two children via his first wife, Elia Martell. However, there wasn’t any bad blood between them. No, his Aunt Lyanna was in a…polyamorous relationship with Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell.

It had sparked great debate in the country for a while, but people were fickle. They only cared about the biggest news until bigger news came along. However, though the people had forgotten, his father, Ned, had not. There was tension whenever his sister came to visit but he held no ill will towards his nephew. No, Eddard had treated Aemon like another son when he visited the north.

“Daemon Allyrion!”

Jon snapped out of his daze. There he was. His first opponent of the night.

Sandy brown hair and sky-blue eyes. A strong jawline with a tall and strong physique. Women would swoon at his features, but all Jon saw was a rider that could meet a strong bull pound for pound. Riders like Robb, and Jon, had to compensate with their lack of strength with remaining one step ahead of their bulls at all times. It was what you were taught at a young age, lift your ass up as the bull jumps and sit right back down as the bull comes down on his front legs. What they didn’t tell you was that riders like Daemon could afford to mistime their maneuvers by making it up with their strength.

“Gerold Dayne!”

Jon tuned his attention away from the rider from God’s Grace.

Gerold Dayne. One of his distant cousins…however much removed. A talented rider. Jon thought that the man ranked above him was the best rider from Dorne, but maybe the man currently walking across the stage could give Daemon a run for his money.

Jon and Gerold weren’t close. Not by a longshot. Gerold seemed to have a rancor for the Dayne’s from Starfall, the city where Jon had grown up. Jon didn’t have an opinion on the man from High Hermitage.

“Robb Stark!”

His auburn haired brother walked up the ramp and towards the stage. He may have had the Tully look but he was very much the pride of the Stark family name. Not like Jon. He had never understood why he and his mother didn’t live with his father but, after he moved in for a while with his father, he learned pretty quick.

His brother had a fall back plan if bull riding didn’t work out. He was the heir to the Stark ranch and he would be in charge of overseeing everything his father owned.

Meanwhile, all Jon had was the love of his mother but that was all he needed. Jon didn’t need a fall back plan because he would make sure his dreams came true. Perhaps not this year, but Jon would make sure he qualified for the finals. He _would_ become the best bull rider to ever live.

Jon zoned out as many riders went and left the stage until it was finally his turn to walk.

“Ladies and gentlemen” the announcer started” this man is ranked 25th in the world standings but is marked as the 22nd man in today’s competition. He won the event two weeks ago at Stonehelm with an _eighty-nine and three quarters_ in round one. Followed by two ninety plus point rides in rounds two and three. Both rides which were on two bulls that previously bucked him off the week prior. He has garnered himself a bit of fame with his efforts…Jon Snow!”

He nearly stumbled onto the stage at the loud roars he heard around the stadium. He did not expect to receive such a loud reception after flunking on tour for the majority of the current season. He shrugged it off to the hype the announcer had given him before calling him onto the stage. He stood next to the announcer as he took off his cowboy hat and held it high in the air, basking in the hoots and hollers from the crowd. He saw a few young boys standing close to the gates that separated the audience and he waved back at them as they tried to gather his attention. He heard the announcer clear his throat next to him, which went unnoticed in the loud atmosphere, and he began to make his way down and off the stage.

-

He was third in line to ride. They would make there way backwards. The first round of riding would be the matchups on the outer brackets. As today’s event was a “pay-per-view” event, there would be breaks between rides. It would be back to back until they reached Round 2, which was technically “Round 1” for the top 8 riders of the event.

Round 2 would begin similarly as Round 1, proceeding from the lowest ranked rider of the set seed, Qotho, until they reached the highest ranked rider, Drogo.

Rank 3 would be explained later when they reached that point.

As he was ranked 24th in the current event, Podrick’s matchup against Aggo would proceed first. Followed by Theon’s matchup against Aegon Targaryen and then Jon’s matchup against Daemon would follow.

Jon had already prepped his bull and was currently waiting for Podrick and Theon to go first.

“Jon!”

He whipped his head around. It was Daenerys.

“Daenerys” he said surprised, “what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be by Podrick’s chute? He’s competing on your bull, Belwas.”

She gave him a warm smile as she shook her head.

“Nah, he’ll be fine. Plus, I think your friend is going to win. Belwas isn’t the best of my bulls and Mudslinger is so good. Podrick should last longer on my bull.”

Jon nodded at her. He pulled out a thin but sturdy strip of leather from one of his vest pockets.

“Not taping up your glove up, Jon?”

Jon shook his head, not being able to speak as he had one end the leather strip between his teeth to hold it in place. Once he was satisfied with the tightly looped leather around his glove, Jon tied the two ends in a knot. He rose his head to the woman in front of him.

“My mom got me this leather strip before she headed back to Starfall. She said she read somewhere that a tie leather strip, rather than tape, would reduce the chances of an injury. I didn’t have the heart to tell her it was a myth.”

She smiled at his words, finding it sweet that he didn’t want to hurt his mother’s feelings.

“I didn’t know that aunt Ashara was your mother” she said offhandedly.

Jon took out the mouthpiece from his vest and inserted it onto his upper teeth.

“And I din’t know you were my cousin.”

She smiled at his muddled words. His mouthpiece was causing just a bit of interference with his articulation.

“We aren’t, at least not that I’m aware of. I call Ashara my aunt because she’s been around for as long as I can remember. She used to take care of me when I was younger and she’s good friends with my nephews’ mothers.”

Jon popped the mouthpiece out. He decided he’d put it back in when the bull was led to his chute.

“Right…” Jon said, “you’re the aunt to my cousin, Aemon, aren’t you?”

Daenerys nodded.

“Yup, but I was talking more about my other nephew, Aegon. Aunt Ashara is closer to _his_ mother rather than Lyanna.”

Jon nodded.

“He’s here tonight” she continued. “Aegon, I mean. He’s a pretty good rider, too.”

“Must be. He’s ranked number 10, after all. You need some skill to make the top 10.”

Suddenly, the chute opened from the right-hand side and both of them turned their heads to see Jon’s bull making its way through the tunneled gates and into its respective chute. He grimaced at the face that his bull was facing with his right side into the chute. That meant that the bull was liable to spin left and away from Jon’s hand.

“Mean looking bull. Though, I’m not familiar with him. Are you, cowboy?”

Jon turned his attention towards her.

“I was wondering why you’d stopped calling me that. Guess you couldn’t stick to saying my name for long.”

“I can say your name if you want me to, cowboy.”

She had responded in a low voice that Jon couldn’t exactly place. She placed her hands on her hips as she got closer to him. Their chests were nearly touching with one another and Jon could see down her shirt. She had left the top two buttons unbuttoned and this was the first time he saw her without her denim jacket.

She was wearing a red plaid shirt and the thinnest leather belt around her waist. It looked good. Then again, everything else he had seen on her had as well.

“I don’t mind what you call me” he said quickly. His eyes flitted down before he brought them back up. “You look nice…”

He mentally face palmed as she smirked. He must have looked so stupid and come off as a green boy.

Damn cleavage. If only he wasn’t a damn one track minded fool all the time, he’d of handled her wardrobe much better.

“Anyways” he moved on, “so you came all the way to my chute because you’re going to cheer me on?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe I might laugh if you get bucked off of that bull real quick and your night ends prematurely.”

He frowned at her words.

_That wasn’t very nice to say,_ he thought.

She took a step closer and pressed her chest to his. His mind clouded over and he almost went ahead and unzipped his vest to feel her closer.

“Maybe I might just take off my top and throw it at you if you win this whole thing, cowboy…” she whispered huskily.

He opened his mouth at the image in his head. Daenerys topless as he held her shirt in his hand…around the entire stadium and his family. He quickly snapped out of his daze. He wasn’t a complete idiot. Well, at least until now. _NOW_ he wasn’t a complete idiot. In reality, he realized that all those times he had chocked her up to being friendly it was actually her flirting with him. Hindsight was 20/20 after all.

“I don’t think it would be decent for you to get naked in front of all these people with their kids. Plus, I’m sure your brother won’t be too happy if his little sister flings her shirt at the man that gets to ride his bull for the bonus prize…”

She bit her lip as she looked at him with darkened eyes. For some reason they had lost the vibrance he usually saw in them.

“Not the man that wins… You. I’ll only do it if you win, Jon.”

Jon hadn’t felt the blood rushing to his face before, but he did now. He must have been as red as a Highgarden tomato.

“I still don’t think that would be decent in front of all these people” he said weakly.

He thought that she would be deterred by his comments but it only seemed to spur something within her. He felt like a bucking brahma bull that was moving wildly, and she was a rider that was meeting his every move.

“Then…” she whispered with a smile, “I’ll do it in private. Behind closed doors. Tonight…back at your place.”

She had left him speechless once more and he found himself working overdrive for a rebuttal. However, she was one step ahead of him. One _massive_ step ahead of him. He hadn’t expected her next action when she made it.

She cupped him through his jeans with her dainty hand. He stood back as he grabbed the wrist of her hand in panic. He looked up in horror but noticed that no one was paying attention to them. He realized that Podrick’s ride had just started when he saw the beginnings of the timer on the jumbotron. He moved his head to the audience but they were at an angle that they were blocked off by a few stacked barrels. However, even if the barrels weren’t there, all the cameras and attention were focused on the ride currently happening.

She was right. Podrick had ridden Belwas with ease. Now it was only a matter of waiting for Aggo’s ride on Mudslinger to see who would advance to face Qotho in Round 2.

He looked down at her to see a small smile as she wrapped her hand around his hardening package. He could hear a score over the speakers, maybe an 88? He couldn’t be sure because she had begun to slightly rub him through his jeans.

“I need to get ready” he said desperately.

She didn’t stop with her slow and torturous rubs.

“I’m sure I’m up soon…” he breathed out.

“There’s three other riders before you” she whispered.

She wasn’t stopping. He had to do something. He could force her off and make his way to his bull. Or he could simply tell her he wasn’t interested. Instead, he did the dumbest thing he could have possibly done.

He kissed her.

It wasn’t a romantic kiss. A slow and meaningful one. It was one out of panic. He had quickly leaned down and had pressed his lips to hers. It was a dumb thing to do but it had done the trick. She had stopped rubbing him and had settled for a firm grope as she caressed his vested chest with her other hand.

He had grabbed her by her waist and he lost himself for a moment because he had pulled her close instead of pushing her away.

They broke apart from one another to catch their breath, but she had quickly moved the hand on his chest to get a grip on the inside of his vest and pulled him down to her.

Their lips met again and Jon was enthralled by her taste and her scent that he found that he liked. But, it was when she began to lightly nibble on his lower lip that his brain rewired itself and Jon came to his senses. He broke the kiss and spun her around by her waist in order to free himself from her. He began to walk backwards.

“I-I should go” he said quickly.

She had a dazed look as she looked back at him before a look of disappointment washed over her.

He turned around and walked briskly over to his chute, where Longclaw was waiting for him.

He stood there for only a few seconds before Robb came up beside him.

“Jon” he said.

He flinched at the sudden voice and his brother took on a look of concern.

“Hey” Robb said, “are you alright?”

Jon looked at him with wide eyes before nodding. He didn’t speak because he didn’t trust that his voice wouldn’t betray him. He couldn’t let anyone know about what had just transpired with Daenerys Targaryen. Robb most of all. His brother wouldn’t let him live it down about “being right.”

No. It was better that no one knew.

It was also then that he remembered a certain blue eyed number two rider. Daario.

That was right. Wasn’t she with Daario? Yeah…she was.

Everything became clear to him then. She wasn’t interested in him. She was trying to throw him off his game. Daario was in the same bracket as Jon. Jon was also the biggest threat to Daario in terms of form. Yeah, that was it.

_So…she knew that you’d be selected by your sponsor and seeded in the same side of the bracket?_

He ignored those thoughts. She had probably done it to multiple other people, going through her options until she could help her boyfriend. Yeah, that was the most likely scenario.

“Jon” Robb said again, getting his brother out of his daze, “are you alright?”

Jon nodded at him.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.”

Robb squinted.

“Hey…why are your lips swollen?”

Jon brought a finger up to the body part in question.

“My lips? Uh…I don’t know.”

Robb stared at him in suspicion before moving his head down to the bull inside the chute.

“So, you ready for your ride?”

Jon nodded again.

“Yeah, as much as I’ll ever be. Not much is known about this bull other than that it’s owned by Jeor Mormont. It’s only had one out before and it bucked pretty hard. Nice smoky coat on him with a grey gradience towards its rear. Must have been quite an impressive out to be selected for Iron Cowboy.”

Robb nodded.

“Yeah” Robb replied. “But I guess the main question is do you think you can beat Daemon?”

Jon stayed quiet for a while.

“I don’t know” he replied honestly. “I’m just going to have to.”

-

The two head to heads before him had already been decided. As Daenerys predicted, Podrick moved through automatically due to riding his bull while Aggo slipped off of Mudslinger at around 4 seconds. Then, in the head to head between Theon and Aegon the same thing had happened with an unfavorable result for his friend. Theon had fallen off the moment his bull, Mindflayer, blasted out of the chute and Aegon only needed to last longer than 1.12 seconds in order to advance. Aegon had gone above and beyond by lasting the entire 8 seconds on Essos Sun.

Now, it was his turn for his matchup against Daemon. Because he was ranked lower, Jon would ride first. He envied his opponent because both Jon and Daemon were right handed riders. However, the arena in Summerhall was separated in two sets of chutes. Area 1 had the bulls spinning to their right while area 2 had the bulls spinning to their left. Jon was in area 2. Guess the area Daemon was in.

He was on the clock. Longclaw was leaning against the chutes, not allowing Jon to get a proper seat on the bull. However, the judge deemed that it wasn’t an illegal action (it was) and stated that Jon was taking too long. He currently had 30 seconds and Jon would likely have to leave the chute with the bull having an early advantage.

Jon had already spread the rosin throughout his rope and already had his riding hand wrapped in the handle. He was simply sitting with his leg in an awkward position.

“25 seconds, Jon” Robb whispered to him.

“Dig your spur on the side where he’s leaning. Give me time to lower my leg.”

“I can’t. The contractors don’t like it” Robb whispered.

“Do it” Jon hissed. “Mormont works with and for Dad. He’ll end up working with and for you too.”

“15 seconds” the judge announced lazily.

Robb had a conflicted look. He looked from side to side before going through with Jon’s request. Jeor Mormont had a look of rage upon his face, but it had done the job for Jon. Setting his leg down, Jon slid up towards his groin and gave the nod for the gatekeeper to open the chute.

Longclaw took a step before jumping upwards. Jon timed the jump and leaned forward, touching his chest to the hump of the animal. Just as it was assured that the planet revolved around the sun, Jon knew that eventually the legs would come up for the kick. Timing the movement once more, Jon sat his ass back on the sinewy backside of the large animal.

And that’s how it went. Aside from choosing a different direction to buck up and down, Longclaw never once spun in a direction.

Jon kept his anticipation for a direction change and could hardly believe his situation when he heard the buzzer sound.

He pulled on the tail end of his free rope and hopped off, Longclaw still bucking up and down. He ran as fast as he could towards the chute where he had just exited and jumped onto the individual bars of the chute.

“You lucky bastard” Robb yelled over the clapping in the stadium.

“It ain’t going to be a pretty score, folks. It ain’t going to be a repeat of Stonehelm. But that’s not his job right here. He’s done his job and ridden his bull… Eighty-four points (84). That’s the score right there.”

Jon took out his mouthpiece and frowned at the clapping around the stadium. It was true, he had done his job. The bull hadn’t done his. A pathetic showing with lackluster hops. Jon climbed over the gates and stood next to his brother, waiting for one of the bull fighters to hand him his bull rope.

He gave Robb a tight lipped smile before looking to the right, where area 1 was located. Where Daemon would ride. Jon looked up towards the jumbotron and saw Daemon currently wrapping his hand in his handle.

Robb put a hand on his brother’s shoulder in a comforting gesture, both waiting with bated breaths at the ride that would determine Jon’s fate.

“This ride is in Daemon’s hands, folks” the announcer said. “This man is the 11th ranked rider in the world. An early wrist injury has had him out, folks. Tonight. Right Now. He rides King Solomon. This bull has competed in 19 outs. 19 rides on this bull. And 8 qualified rides on this bull. Every. Single. One. Above 88 points. If he rides, he should make it to Round 2. Round 2. 8 rides on this bull, can he make 9?”

The chutes had opened.

“Don’t quit!”

King Solomon started with a spin into Daemon’s hand and Jon knew that it was over for himself if Daemon made the 8 seconds.

2 seconds had passed.

King Solomon kicked into a medium height as he spun and Jon held his breath as he saw Daemon slightly slide off balance.

3 seconds.

King Solomon made a hard lurch forward and Daemon was flung forward, his free hand making contact with the bull before rolling off the front of the animal.

3.57 seconds.

The crowd gasped as King Solomon chased Daemon, but Jon could only feel relief as he saw the time stay still on the jumbotron. The mandatory buzzer noise did nothing for Jon as he and Robb exchanged smiles.

He was heading towards Round 2.

Jon smiled as he started to make his way towards the back of the locker room. He was going to hang up his bull rope for the time being and head back to help Robb get ready atop his bull.

“Jon!”

He stopped in his tracks and turned to see Missandei making her way to him with her cameraman, a bright smile on her face.

He gave her a small smile in return as he greeted her.

“Hey, Missandei.”

“Jon” she said again. “A round 1 win against Daemon. Many people are wondering if perhaps the quality of bulls came into play.”

She put the mic to Jon’s mouth and he chuckled before answering.

“You know… maybe, Missandei. Maybe. But you know what? It isn’t my problem. I didn’t choose the bull, it was the bull chosen for me. I rode my bull and Daemon didn’t. When it boils down to it, that’s the simple answer.”

Missandei smiled at his answer.

“And how are you feeling going into Round 2 against Loras Tyrell? The world number 6.”

Jon glanced up at the ceiling for a mere moment.

“Well… I just hope that I ride my bull. If I’m not mistaken then I’m going up against a Tyrell owned bull. I don’t know much about the bull as I haven’t personally ridden him but I’m going to go ahead and ask those who have. Hopefully you’ll talk to me again and the next time when I qualify for round 3.”

“All right, Jon, good luck in Round 2.”

She turned to the camera and sent the show back to Barristan and Oberyn.

Jon knew he was on a time constraint as it was, no doubt that Robb’s time to ride was near but Jon felt like staying just a bit longer.

Missandei turned to him, her brown hair coiling around her like a halo.

“That was…a good ride out there.”

Jon laughed at the obvious niceties of the woman in front of him.

“It was terrible, Missandei. You don’t have to lie. Honestly, I probably owe my advancing to King Solomon rather than myself.”

He pointed a finger at her in a mocking gesture.

“Don’t tell anyone I told you that” he said.

She giggled and placed a manicured hand on his arm for stability.

She was wearing a tight fitting blouse, and Jon had to fight to ignore the way it hugged her bosom.

He blamed it on Daenerys’ advances; it had sent his mind into the depths of its deepest gutter. He shook away those thoughts as he was drawn into Missandei’s smile.

“Don’t worry…” she leaned in, “…I won’t.”

“Well, I’m happy that my secret is safe with you.”

He grabbed the hand she had placed on his arm and gave it a squeeze.

“I gotta go” he said to her.

A disappointed look appeared in her eyes but she nodded as she realized she needed to interview the other winners that made it to Round 2.

Looking up, he saw that Toregg was already mounting his bull; so, he sprinted to the locker room before sprinting back to the bucking chutes.

“What took you so long?” Robb asked him from atop his bull.

Robb was riding Ice, one of their father’s bulls. Going into this matchup, Robb had the advantage over Toregg.

The chutes opened and Jon angled his head up. Toregg was riding his bull, Demodog, and spurring him. The bull spun right and into Toregg’s hand, making the ride look smooth.

Jon sucked his teeth when the 8 second buzzer sounded.

“What a beautiful ride that was, ladies and gentlemen, yessir. I’m hearing Eighty-eight and a half points.”

The crowd cheered and he saw Robb tense below him.

Jon wanted to place a reassuring hand but he needed to keep hold of the loose rope in order to tighten it.

“That means that Robb Stark needs to ride. He needs to ride and score an eighty-eight and three quarter points to advance.”

“Pull the rope” Robb ordered, ignoring the announcer’s voice over the speakers.

Jon complied and handed the rope for Robb to begin tightening.

Jon held his arm out across Robb’s chest, in case the bull bucked forward in the chute, and observed his brother’s stagnate face.

He saw Robb become satisfied with his wrapped riding hand and slide his groin to it. Robb shook a bit on the bull before giving a nod for the gatekeeper.

-

**Round 2**

“Ladies and Gentlemen…these are your riders that made it into Round 2.”

Jon was waiting in the locker room as he viewed the tv in the upper corner.

“We will move on from the lowest ranked rider of the previously seeded riders. The first match up will be the 8th ranked rider, Qotho, and the last matchup will be the 1st ranked rider, Drogo. Summerhall…ARE YOU READY?!”

A massive roar throughout the stadium.

“Our first matchup, Qotho will ride on Scorpion and face off against Podrick Payne atop King’s Road. The winner of the matchup will move on to Round 3 and ride atop the bull, Breakdown.”

Jon cracked his neck.

“The matchup to follow that will be Rakharo riding the bull Curvy and he will face Aegon Targaryen atop the bull, False One. The winner of that matchup will move to Round 3 and ride the bull, Viserion. One of the three special bulls from Daenerys Targaryen.”

Applause could be heard around the stadium as the camera cut to the silver hair stock contractor. A torrent of emotions ran through Jon’s stomach at the sight of her.

_She’s distracting you. She’s with Daario. Focus on the prize._

“The matchup to follow will be Loras Tyrell riding the bull, Valkyrie, and he will face off against Jon Snow atop the bull, Tyrell Flowerboy.”

A roar throughout the stadium that surprised Jon and the announcer had to wait before talking once more.

“It’s a bit of an advantage for the world number 6 as a family bull faces off against the opponent but Jon Snow has proven he’s got what it takes, hasn’t he folks?”

The question was met with a large cheer and it humbled Jon to hear.

“After that folks, we have Quentyn Martell atop the bull, Mors, facing off against Gerold Dayne atop the bull, Phantom. Another advantage for a rider, this time in favor of Quentyn as his family owns the bull he will ride. We’ve already seen a rider face off against a bull their family has owned.”

Jon breathed in and out.

“Following that matchup will be Asher Forrester riding Hopscotch and he will face off against the winner of Round 1…Robb Stark!”

Jon smiled as he looked across the room. He was met with the Tully blue eyes of his brother, a smile crinkling on Robb’s face.

“Yessir, Robb Stark put 89 points atop his father’s bull to make it here and what a ride it was!”

Robb sighed as he rested against a wall.

“Yron Emmet will ride Why Not Be Normal and will face Domeric Bolton atop Hoobastank. Daario Naharis will ride Mercenary and face off against Roderick Forrester against Red Flea. The final ride of the night will be Drogo atop Far West and he will face off against Jhogo atop Dornish Red.”

The crowd waiting in anticipation as the beginnings of Round 2 was beginning to get underway. Once again, Jon was the third matchup to ride in the round. He grabbed his bull rope and headed towards the individual pens to prepare his bull.

-

He was already on his bull. He would ride first. Again. However, it came at an advantage if what he heard was correct.

Apparently, the “lower” ranked rider would ride second in Round 3. Jon was the lowest ranked rider still competing on his side of the bracket, meaning he had an extra time of rest in Round 3. _If_ he passed Round 2.

He was up against Loras Tyrell. The 6th ranked rider in the world.

He still had his mind made up of the man. He could ride the average bulls and make them look nice. It was the ranker bulls that Loras had a problem with. Still, no same bucking was guaranteed.

Podrick had managed to advance once again. He racked up an 89.50 point ride atop King’s Road while Qotho bucked off of Scorpion. Aegon Targaryen and Rakharo had both ridden their bulls, but Aegon had scored higher atop his bull, False One.

That meant that Podrick would ride Breakdown in Round 3 and Aegon would ride Viserion.

“Keep your head down” Robb told him from above the chutes.

Jon nodded as he slid up from the bull and to his riding hand. The bull below him rocked side to side in the chute giving Jon an idea as to how the ride would start.

Shifting slightly in his seat, Jon found the position he was most comfortable with before nodding his head.

The gate flew open and Flowerboy began to spin immediately from the gate. Jon had been placed in Area 2 once again, meaning that Flowerboy would spin left and away from Jon’s hand.

Jon grit his teeth as he gripped the rope within his riding hand with hardened vigor. He ignored all his surroundings and the noises that came from within the arena. He didn’t even comprehend the lights that illuminated him on the bull. He could only see himself on the bull in a darkened area.

He felt himself slipping. He was sliding off. Each spin of the bull was accompanied with a powerful kick. Each spin was to the right. He couldn’t hold on. He couldn’t. He was using as much strength as he could already. He struggled to keep his free arm away from the bull as he slid off from the center of the bull with each spin and kick.

He didn’t know how many spins and kicks had passed by, but they had finally achieved their purpose. Jon was finally completely off balance and slid off the right side of the bull.

His hand was mere inches from making contact with the animal and stopping the timer from a qualified ride-

The buzzer sounded and Jon’s hand made contact with the bull before sliding off onto the dirt. He was on his stomach and Jon crawled desperately to any direction; he felt his head hit someone’s leg, but he didn’t bother looking up. Jumping onto one of the gates and he was finally out of harm’s way.

Jon looked down into the crowd and he saw that they looked at him with silence. He didn’t know why until he looked up at the jumbotron.

7.99 Seconds.

He felt his stomach drop. That close? Only a hundredth of a second away from a qualified ride.

“Challenge it”

He looked back down at the crowd. He looked through them until he stopped at small and cherub face.

It was a young boy.

“Challenge it” he squeaked out again.

Jon blinked at him. Then again. Then he nodded.

Jon jumped down from the gate as he ran over to the judges booth. He had completely forgotten about the challenge button.

The challenge button was as its name suggested. A button that would challenge a final decision made by the officials. More often than not, whether a ride was qualified or not. It was a useful system that allowed a wrongful decision to be overturned but it came with its consequences as well. If a challenged decision was found to be redundant, then the challenger would be fined a hefty penalty for “wasting time”.

Jon only prayed that he wasn’t wasting the judges’ time.

“Folks” the announcer called over the speakers, “Jon Snow is challenging that final timed decision.”

The crowd sucked in a breath as they kept their eyes trained on the jumbotron. They were replaying Jon’s ride in slow motion. They had the last second of the ride being replayed on loop with a second timer in the bottom corner.

Jon walked towards the back of the chutes when his bull rope was returned to him. He saw Missandei waiting for him from his side view but he only kept his attention fixed on the jumbo screen.

He saw his hand as it was played in slow motion, making its way towards the back of the animal.

7.00 Seconds. No contact….

7.13 Seconds. No contact….

7.51 Seconds. No contact….

7.77 Seconds. No contact….

7.99 seconds. No contact….

Jon gulped as the crowd began to clap.

8.00 seconds. Still no contact with the bull.

The crowd grew louder and louder.

“Folks...they’re giving it to him! Eighty-nine and three-quarter points (89.75)!”

Jon smiled as he heard the score. Now, all it would take was for either Loras to fall off or for the score to remain lower than his.

He began to unwrap the leather strip holding his glove and sighed a sigh of relief when he finally freed his right hand from its constraint. He flexed his hand, feeling the sweat that had accumulated during the 8 second ride.

He made his way over to Missandei and gave her a smile as he leaned against the wall, bringing up his thumb and index finger in order to unzip his vest.

“Will that be enough to make it to Round 3?”

He looked up at her, her chocolate eyes looking back at him with a twinkle in them.

“I hope so” he responded with a smile.

Missandei brought a hand up to her hair as she brushed a curly strand of hair behind her ear.

“I know I’m not supposed to be bias towards any rider, but… I hope you make it to Round 3.”

He looked over to her and he noticed the way she failed to meet his eyes as she kept her eyes focused on the jumbotron.

Certain actions from earlier from a certain…someone…had opened his eyes to the people around him. Women in particular. During his breaks, he noticed the way the females in the crowd would cheer at him. One of the married women had even winked at him! His mind wandered to the waitress from the night he had eaten out with his mom and Daenerys; and he thought about his mother’s comments about the woman.

Hindsight really was 20/20.

Jon focused back to the present as he looked over at the woman next to him.

Dark, plump and soft looking lips. He wondered what it would feel like to feel them with his own.

He moved his eyes down her body. A nice and sizeable bust followed by a slim and curvy waist. He wondered what it would feel like to hold her.

He looked back over to the jumbotron as he felt himself begin to harden in his jeans. He felt ashamed of himself as he concentrated on Loras preparing to give the go ahead to the gatekeeper.

He now knew that Missandei liked him. It was impossible to ignore the small signs now that his eyes had been opened.

Loras had finally nodded his head and the ride began.

It was a decent ride. All made mainly by Loras’ form. The bull spun and bucked averagely but it wasn’t anything to write home about. However, it was all in the judges’ hands. They would decide whether the ride was good enough or not.

“I’m waiting for the scores here” the announcer called out. “Just waiting… and they’re here. Eighty-seven and a half points (87.5).”

The crowd gave a piteous groan aimed at Loras, but no one had any major complaints about the score. It simply wasn’t a spectacular ride.

Missandei readied her microphone as the cameraman began to lift his camera to aim it at the two of them.

Jon looked over to the woman next to him…and bolted.

He gave a halfhearted apology with a squeeze to her shoulder before walking towards the locker room. He simply didn’t trust his mind and his body around the beautiful interviewer.

She blinked at his departing form and gave a disappointed frown.

-

“That’s it folks! That’s the end of Round 2! Round 3 will have a total of four head to heads. Same rules as before apply only that the higher ranked rider will ride first. That should shaken things up a bit.”

Jon breathed out as he clutched onto his bull rope.

“The first matchup we’ll start with will be Daario Naharis riding Crosswired, facing up against Aegon Targaryen atop Viserion. The winner of this matchup will go on to R4 and ride the bull, Rhaegal.”

Jon clenched his free fist, closing his eyes as the blood pounded in his ears.

“The second matchup will be Drogo riding All In, facing up against Podrick Payne atop Breakdown. The winner of this matchup will go on to ride Air Time in Round 4.”

Cracking his neck. He was relieving tension.

“The third matchup will be Asher Forrester riding Brutus, facing off against Quentyn Martell atop Wipe Out. The winner of that matchup will go on to face White Magic in Round 4.”

Jon focused his eyes to his brother in the corner. He was being consoled by Grenn and Theon. In the end, Robb couldn’t defeat the world number 4 in a head to head. Robb had bucked off of Red Skull at around 4 seconds while Asher rode his bull the entire 8.

“And the final matchup will be Yron Emmet riding Sky Limit, facing off against Jon Snow on Silver. The winner of that matchup will ride Big Bucks in Round 4.”

Jon closed his eyes. His breathing had become erratic. He needed to wrap it under control.

“There we have it! Those are our matchups of Round 3! Give them a round of applause, folks!”

Cheers and claps rang around the arena.

“Round 3 will start in 10 minutes. Feel free to visit the concession stands while you wait.”

He opened his dark iron eyes as he looked forward.

Yron Emmet. That was the next opponent. The next obstacle.

The only thing standing between Jon and Round 4.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooh! Longest chapter I've written for this series so far. I had to split it here in order to not bore you guys with talk about bull riding! 
> 
> Hope you liked Dany coming onto Jon and Jon being enlightened to the women's intentions towards him. 
> 
> Until next time! Hopefully very soon.


	7. Iron Cowboy Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ending of Iron Cowboy.

“You’re not nervous at all, are you?”

Grenn was currently waiting with him by the chutes. Daario had already won his matchup against Aegon Targaryen. Daario had ridden Crosswired and score 92 points for his effort while Aegon had bucked off of his aunt’s bull at a little over 6 seconds. 6.22 seconds to be exact.

Meanwhile, Drogo had already ridden first in his ride against Podrick. Drogo had surprised, and energized, the crowd by becoming the fourth man to ride All In, scoring 92.25 points. Podrick was currently wrapping his riding hand in his handle and would soon start his ride on Breakdown.

When Jon did not answer Grenn’s question, his friend asked another.

“Do you think that Podrick has a chance at going through?”

“No” Jon answered immediately and honestly. “Podrick can ride the bull, but the problem lies with can he score high enough. He needs a 92.50 to beat Drogo, but I don’t see it happening. The bull is going to exit spinning left and away from Podrick’s hand, meaning that Podrick will be playing catchup the entire ride. And while I have no doubt that he will ride his bull, he won’t have the score of the judges on his side due to his form.”

Grenn frowned at his answer but didn’t push further on it.

Podrick had given the go ahead and the ride had started. Spinning to the left, Podrick was left destabilized but he managed to keep himself on the bull due to his grip with his feet. The bull kept spinning and added a few kicks…and then the bull changed direction at around 4 seconds. Spinning and kicking to the right and into Podrick’s hand, it was what the young rider needed as he spurred and worked his outer leg on the bull. Jon found himself clapping as the buzzer sounded and the ride ended.

“That wasn’t too bad” Grenn shouted to him over the claps and cheers of the stadium.

“No” Jon agreed. “It wasn’t bad at all. It was looking shaky for the first four seconds but the direction change really helped Pod. He might actually come close.”

Grenn nodded at him as they waited for the scores to come in.

“That boy stuck with that bull, yes he did, folks. It was looking might nervous until that direction change. Let’s see what the judges think…”

Grenn turned to him and opened his mouth as if he wanted to ask something but closed it in order to wait for the incoming score.

“I have it here folks… Ninety and three quarter points (90.75)…it wasn’t enough…”

Boos rang around the stadium as the camera panned over to a disappointed looking Podrick. Jon saw Missandei walking over to Drogo and Jon took it as his queue to get over the chutes and slide onto the back of Silver.

“Hey, Jon…”

Jon looked up to Grenn from his seat on the back of the bull. Grenn had the free rope in his hand.

“What is it, Grenn?”

Jon began to slide the bull rope from side to side until he found a position he liked it in. He was finally in area 1, meaning that Silver would likely spin right and into Jon’s hand.

“I know it isn’t any of my business…but is there something going on between you and Daenerys?”

Jon paused in his movements as he looked up.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just… Robb says that Daenerys has been flirting with you and she does seem to stare at you. Like a lot…”

Jon blinked at that new information. The thoughts he had previously began to wither away if what Grenn was telling him was true. It was already ridiculous to think that Daenerys had some ulterior motives in favor for another competitor this night, but he guessed that it was safer for his mind to find some explanation for her suddenness at him.

“I don’t know what to say, Grenn. Don’t worry about it. Pull on my rope.”

Grenn pursed his lips but obliged nonetheless. Jon was going a bit early seeing as Emmet hadn’t ridden his bull yet. Sky Limit was the bull that Emmet would have to conquer. A bull from Viserys Targaryen and the only noteworthy bull that man owned. With all due respect to Rhaegar and Daenerys, but their brother couldn’t pick a good bull if it stood in front of him.

Though, Jon supposed that Viserys was lucky to own a bull like Sky Limit. A white bull with large brown spots towards the front of its body. Good high and power jumps. Not the best spins but it was a powerful bull with powerful kicks.

The chutes suddenly opened and Jon could see through the narrow openings of the gates, the ride that was ensuing.

The bull jumped high into the hair and came down powerfully with another jump and kick to go along with it. Perhaps it was the remnants of the injury, but it was clear that Emmet wasn’t at one hundred percent. Despite how weak the turn was, a turn that any good rider in the top ten would make with ease, Yron Emmet slid off the side of the bull and onto the dirt terrace.

3.22 seconds was the official time that he was bucked off.

That’s the time he had to beat.

He saw Grenn shuffle in his feet before he moved over and Jon looked up to see what had caused it.

It was Daenerys. She was wearing the same outfit from earlier in the night and Jon found his breath catch in his lungs at the sight of her.

“3.22 seconds. That’s all you need to win, Jon” she said as she looked at him.

Grenn stared at her before looking down at Jon and then back at her.

“Yeah… I guess its easier said than done isn’t it?”

Jon grabbed the free rope from Grenn and began to wrap it around his hand.

“I don’t want to give you any advantage out there, cowboy, because Silver is mine just as my other bulls are. But I hope you make it longer than Yron Emmet did on his ride.”

Jon nodded looking up briefly to give her a smile.

He took out the mouthpiece from his vest and inserted it onto his top teeth. Pushing his hat down onto his head, Jon slapped his face a few times before sliding his groin up to his riding hand.

Pulling on his rope, just to make sure it was tight, Jon nodded his head after he was satisfied.

The chutes opened and Silver darted out. Silver hopped a few times before committing to a right sided spin. Jon met each spin with timed movement, digging his right boot into Silver’s stomach, his blunt spurs gripping for support as he worked his outside leg.

Silver gave a nice kick but Jon met it perfectly. Both ride and bull repeated this dance until the buzzer signaled for Jon to pull on his tail ended free rope and dismount.

There was no need in waiting for the score to come in, because Jon had already won his matchup against Emmet. No doubt the critics would say that Emmet wasn’t at his best, but that wasn’t Jon’s problem. Jon was just here to ride bulls and move on to the next one.

With his bull rope in hand, Jon walked to the back of the gates and was met with Missandei’s smile as she held a microphone in her hand. Her eyes held hope and a pleading tone to match. No doubt his half assed exit still fresh on her mind.

He gave her small nod and smile as he began to unwrap the leather from his glove.

She gave the signal to her cameraman and they both approached him.

“Jon, 91.25 points on Silver. You only needed to last longer than 3.22 seconds, but you’ll be happy to rack some more points and move up in the standings.”

She pointed the microphone at his hard-breathing mouth.

“Yeah… no doubt… Uhm, that bull spun nicely… into my hand and gave…some pretty good kicks. I’ll be ready…for Round 4…”

He gave her one final smile as he bent down to catch his breath. Many people never thought about Bull Riding when it came to general talk of sports, but it truly was the toughest sport on the planet. Jon had only gone through three rides of 8 seconds. 24 seconds of hard work and he was already feeling spent.

Jon felt pressure as his thoughts loomed of the bull he would have to face in Round 4.

“All right, Jon. I’m going to go ahead and let you catch your breath…” she said with concern on her face.

Jon nodded gratefully at the beautiful woman. His hair becoming slick with sweat and sticking to his forehead. He could feel it becoming more damp under the heat of his black hat.

“Back over to you Barristan.”

She gave him one last smile before walking off with her cameraman, both of them waiting on the winner of the matchup between Asher and Quentyn.

Jon took off his hat as he began to make his way to the back of the arena and towards the locker room, fully intending on taking a break until he was stopped by a hand that grasped the sleeve of his shirt.

He turned around to see the smiling face of Daenerys Targaryen.

“Just two more rides and you win _everything_.”

He gave her a tired smile, his breaths still coming out slightly ragged.

“You want me to be honest here?”

She stared at him with her large violet eyes before she gave a slight nod.

“I don’t know if I can do it…”

It felt almost gratifying. Admitting this to somebody.

“I don’t know if I can beat your friend, Daario, in Round 4. I’m tired.”

He gave her a sad smile as he looked her in the eyes. He wondered what she would say then. Would she still be as interested in him as she was before? After giving it further thought, he realized that her affections for him had been genuine. Not only did he see it now that his eyes had become aware, but his mother had seen it too. She had made sure that the conversation flowed between him and Daenerys and had never once talked down his work in front of the silver haired woman. His mother had urged him to talk to her and invite her for a dance. And his mother had never lied to him.

But the question now was would she still be interested? The first time she had talked to him was directly after his Round 1 performance on Highgarden Dreaming. Then that same night after he nabbed 3rd. Then again that night at the bar…and then the night after his win at the event. She had only spoken to him at his best. Never at his worst.

“I’ve been riding since round 1” he continued, “and I just don’t know if I can keep going. I struggled in Round 2! I was lucky that your bull decided to spin into my hand but I was more tired after it was over than I was when I barely made the time on Flowerboy. And now I need to face Big Bucks in Round 4. That bull was a champion 3 years ago-”

“Stop!”

He stopped in his rant and looked into her eyes.

They were sad and no longer had the vibrance that they usually carried. She took the hand that he used to ride, his right, within her grasp and held tightly with her dainty fingers.

“I don’t want you to keep competing with this thought that you need to win this for me… that’s not who you are. That’s not why you ride! You ride because you love it. That’s who you’ve always been…”

He stared at her as she let go of his hand and put her own within her pockets.

“How do you…” he started.

“You go out there and you win, cowboy.” She turned around. “Even if you don’t…I’ll still be your number one fan…”

She looked over her shoulder for one last time before she walked off towards the front of the chutes.

He could only stare at her in wonder as he was glued to the spot.

-

“Folks, we’re here. Round. Number. Four.”

The crowd cheered at the annoucer’s words over the speakers.

“Only 4 riders left in this competition. Only two more rides, for one rider, stands between them and destiny. Only 16 seconds between them and greatness…We will start off the round with Drogo riding Air Time, versus Quentyn Martell atop White Magic. Quentyn Martell rode Wipe Out for 93 points against his opponent, Asher Forrester, who bucked off at 7.12 seconds. A matchup of the top 5.”

The crowd cheered and stomped at the build of anticipation between both riders.

“In the second matchup of the night, we have Daario Naharis riding Rhaegal, facing off against Jon Snow riding Big Bucks. Rhaegal is one of the three magic bulls of Daenerys Targaryen and we’ve already seen his brother buck off his owner’s nephew in Round 3. Big Bucks, ladies and gentlemen. This is a bull that won the title of World Champion Bull, three years ago and nearly won back to back the year after. Daario Naharis is the world number two and Jon Snow is a man on fire these past few weeks and these past few rides. Can we hear it for the two of them?”

More cheers and stomps from the crowd.

“Folks, we are going to have ourselves a 5-minute break as these men have already prepped their bulls for this round. Same rules from Round 3 apply. Higher ranked rider rides first, lower ranked rider rides second. Don’t leave your seats because we are out here!”

-

Daenerys did not come to him again. She didn’t stand by his chute as he sat over the chutes where Big Bucks already waited for him.

Robb was currently hanging around with Theon and Podrick, all three riders opting to wait in the locker room, meaning that it would be Grenn helping him with his rope again.

“You got this Snow. The pressure is on Naharis. Beat that cocky son of a bitch and go on to meet Drogo in Round 5.”

Jon ignored him as he waited for Daario to exit the chutes on the brown bull from Daenerys.

Drogo had barely beaten Quentyn in their matchup, lasting 5.11 seconds on Air Time while the latter lasted 4.89 on White Magic.

“Those are two impressive bulls your daddy owns, Snow. They might compete this year at the finals for the World Champion Bull.”

Jon nodded faintly at his friends words. He could see on the jumbotron that Daario had slid up to his riding hand.

Daario gave a nod and the gate had opened.

Rhaegal leaped out of the gate once before he chose to spin left and into Daario’s hand.

But it wasn’t in favor. With every one of Rhaegal’s spins, the brown bull would give a slight kick and roll his hips, causing Daario to become offset from the bull’s back. It only took two of these rolled kicks for Daario to be flung off from the outside of the bull.

4.77 seconds was the final recorded time.

Jon slid onto the back of Big Bucks as he faintly heard the bull scores come in.

“Ladies and gentlemen… _Forty-seven_ points!”

Jon droned out the noise.

47 points? That was damn impressive. 50 was the best possible score a bull could score, meaning that Rhaegal was only 3 points off from being perfect. It was tied for the best score of the night, along with Air Time.

Jon ordered Grenn to pull the rope in order for him to spread his rosin over the rope. Jon knew that he would need every advantage possible to win this head to head. Big Bucks may have been the champion three years ago, but he could definitely match 47 points still on his day.

When he was satisfied with the amount of rosin on his rope (it was a lot), he grabbed the rope from Grenn’s hand and began to wrap it around his riding hand in the handle of his bull rope.

Jon put his mouthpiece on his teeth, tightened his hat, gave his face a few slaps, and slid up to his riding hand.

He felt his free hand shaking as he held the steel bars next to him. He was in area 1 again, positioned to leave the chutes with Big Bucks spinning into his hand.

Waiting a few seconds first…he gave the nod.

The gate opened and Jon held tightly as Big Bucks lurched forward before coming up. Jon swore his gums would bleed by the amount of pressure he applied with his clenched teeth, matching the bulls forward jump and eventual kick.

The area of the chutes did not matter. Big Bucks spun left…and away from Jon’s hand.

He held tightly as the bull kicked high and spun. Each kick set Jon off balance, just as Rhaegal had done to Daario. But whereas Rhaegal used speed and a little force to best Daario, Big Bucks used nothing but pure force. The damn bull was a large and beautiful black beast, very similar to Daenerys’ Drogon.

Jon struggled to hold on as the bull spun left and kicked high.

With one last spin and kick, Jon was thrown to the side but he did not fall off completely. Jon held tightly onto his rope as the animal took advantage of the situation and changed from powerful spin kicks into pure spins with medium kicks. It did the trick.

Jon was flung from the side and onto the dirt. Jon crawled quickly to the chutes as he was thrown near them and climbed the steel bars and into safety.

His hat had fallen off but he didn’t know where. Just as Jon was going to turn back and look at the jumbotron, he felt a few riders slapping him on his back with a grin on their faces. The noise of the arena was slowly coming to him as he turned around and faced the jumbotron at the top of the arena.

He knew that he didn’t make the buzzer. It had sounded during the time he was crawling towards the chutes.

But he just needed to beat 4.77 seconds…. That was it. That was all he needed to beat.

6.22 seconds.

He had done it. He gave a wide grin as he turned to the riders in front of him. They were Sigorn, Asher and Roderick. All the Levi’s riders (along with Grenn as well) were here to cheer him on. Sigorn gave a war shriek as Jon climbed over the chute bars and a bull fighter came over to hand Jon his bull rope and hat.

“Well, folks. That may have been one of the most spectacular buck off wins I’ve ever seen. There will be no score for Jon Snow but it’ll be a score worth watching for Big Bucks. The scores are coming in…and it is the best of the night! Forty-seven and a half points!”

The crowd clapped as the bull score was announced and Jon felt a sort of…pride as he came to close to covering the bull. There was also a bit of hatred for himself as he failed to make the remaining 1.78 seconds to qualify a ride on a former world champion bull.

“What a damn effort, Snow” Asher clapped him again on his back.

Jon thanked him as he made his way towards the individual bull pens. He didn’t have time to rest because he needed to wrap his bull rope around Bruiser.

“Good job, Snow.”

“Unlucky, brother. You stuck to him as much as you could.”

“Should shut that bitch boy, Naharis, for a while.”

Jon smiled at each person to congratulate him as he made his way towards the back. Now, he only had one obstacle between him and victory.

Drogo.

-

Both men were standing in the middle of the arena, on a makeshift stage, with the announcer standing between them.

“Alright, folks. It’s the fifth and final round.”

The crowd cheered.

“We need to make this as fair as we can make it. Both men are right here in front of me and we’re going to have ourselves a best of three coin toss. As the world number one, Drogo gets first pick and Jon gets second. If both men are tied, then the tie breaker goes to Drogo with the final pick. The winner will get to choose who rides first.”

The crowd waited in anticipation as the announcer pulled a coin from his pocket. He turned to Drogo.

“Heads or Tails?”

“Heads” Drogo said with a thick accent.

The announcer flipped the coin before catching it mid air and slapping it on back of his hand.

“Heads it is!”

It was 1-0, Drogo.

The announcer turned to him.

“Heads or Tails, son?”

“Heads” Jon answered.

The announcer repeated the process and looked at the result.

“Heads again!”

It was now tied between them. It would come down to the tie breaker.

“Heads or Tails?” The announcer asked Drogo.

Drogo thought about it before answering tails. The announcer repeated the process and looked at the side of the coin that had landed.

“Rotten luck, number one. It’s heads again.”

Jon felt relief flood through his body.

“What’s it gonna be, kid?”

“I’ll ride second” Jon answered.

The crowd cheered and both Drogo and Jon exchanged a firm handshake in the middle of the arena before both men headed towards the chutes where their bulls would placed.

Both men were in area 1, the bulls spinning to the right and into their preferred hand. Of course, Drogo would ride first.

-

It took five minutes for the staff to disassemble the makeshift stage, and in that time the bulls had been led to their respective chutes. Jon could see that Drogo was already set on Drogon. This would be a rematch between the two of them.

Jon waited with Grenn standing next to him, looking up at the jumbotron.

Drogo slid up to his riding hand and gave a sharp nod.

Drogon blasted out of the chute and Drogo used his strength to stay seated on the bull. The bull spun right and Jon thought that Drogo would match the direction.

But he didn’t.

The direction change was met with a swift kick and Drogo was thrown off the back of the animal.

Jon looked on in shock at what he had just seen. Was his mind playing tricks on him?

Jon turned his head to the timer on the jumbotron to see if his sanity would be confirmed.

2.89 seconds.

That’s all he needed to beat. 2.89 seconds.

Jon slid onto the back of Bruiser and he listened for the bull score to be announced.

“Forty seven and a half points. Tied for the best of the night!”

Jon droned out the noised once more, chanting the same sentence in his head.

_Beat 2.89 seconds. Beat 2.89 seconds._

Maybe it was easier said than done but Jon felt confident about his chances. He knew that Bruiser would blast just as hard as Drogon before spinning into a direction.

Grenn pulled on his rope without needed to be told and Jon spread rosin over the free end of his rope. Putting his hand into his handle, Jon reached for the rope and began to wrap it around his riding hand.

Reaching into his vest, Jon pulled out his mouthpiece and popped it onto his teeth. Tightening his black hat down on his head, and slapping his face a little harder than usual, Jon slid up to his riding hand and nodded quickly.

Bruiser blasted as expected and Jon sat firmly in his seat as he waited for the bull to come up. Jon met the forward jump expertly and sat back down as he waited for the direction spin.

Bruiser chose to spin right.

And Jon had him for the entire ride.

-

“Fuck yeah!” Asher ran up to him.

Sigorn and Grenn came from behind him as they crushed him with their hugs.

The crowd was roaring and giving a standing ovation at the ride they had just witnessed.

“Ladies and gentlemen, your Iron Cowboy…JON SNOW!”

The crowd became louder and louder as they cheered for the dark haired rider.

“And I know how much you’re waiting for this so I’ll go ahead and tell you the score of that ride…NINETY-FIVE AND A HALF POINTS (95.5)!”

The stadium shook at the noise within and Jon could only feel himself smile dumbly at the congratulations around him.

It went on for at least a minute before the crowd died down just a bit for the announcer to speak again.

“But it isn’t over folks”

The crowd became silent.

“That’s right… Jon Snow has already put himself in the history books. He’s an Iron Cowboy. But now! Right now! Jon Snow gets a chance at. One. Million. Golden Dragons.”

The crowd cheered once again.

“But he’s drawn Code Blue.”

The crowd fell silent once more.

“Code Blue is the current reigning champion and he has never been ridden before. Fifty different riders have tried, but Code Blue has bucked off all of them. He averages a bull score of 46.75 points and the longest ride on him has been a little over 4 seconds. Can Jon Snow write himself into Godhood? Let’s find out!”

-

Daenerys was currently standing over his chute as he slid onto the back of Code Blue.

That wasn’t the problem.

The problem was that Code Blue’s owner was also standing near him. None other than last season’s Stock Contractor of the Year, current head of the Targaryen Ranch, husband to his Aunt and the brother of the woman that had fondled him earlier.

Rhaegar Targaryen.

Jon tried to keep his nerves in check as he tried to ignore the beautiful woman standing over him. He had technically already fulfilled the woman’s terms for her…reward to him. He could still feel her hand around his clothed package and the taste of her lips on his own.

He sharply asked Grenn to pull on the rope and the man obliged willingly.

Jon went through his usual routine before sliding up to his riding hand.

He stayed still for a few seconds and then nodded.

-

In the stands

Rickon was currently awaiting for his brother to ride Code Blue. His mother was furious that Jon had bested Robb in the competition but Rickon knew it to be expected. Jon was simply the better rider. Arya agreed while Sansa turned her nose upwards and snootily. Their father remained neutral but Rickon suspected that his dad knew the truth.

“Father…can I borrow fifty dragons?”

Eddard looked down at his son with a raised brow.

“And why do you need fifty golden dragons?”

“So that I can bet on Jon” Rickon answered cutely.

“Just cheer him from the crowd.”

Rickon shook his head cutely.

“But I want to support him! This is the best way I can think of. That way Jon knows that I’m in his corner.”

Eddard gave his son a tight lip, but his eyes softened at Rickon’s pouting face. He sighed before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the amount of money his youngest requested.

“This is the only time I’m doing this. Understand? I don’t want you to ever gamble your money away again.”

Rickon nodded at his father and took the wad of cash in his hands. The young boy ran from his seat and to the nearest bookie around.

He turned his head side to side until he found what, or who, he was looking for.

“Excuse me…”

The bookie looked down at him.

“What is it kid?”

“Uhm…I’d like to place a bet?”

The bookie raised a brow at him.

“I don’t take bets from minors.”

The bookie turned away from him, but Rickon pulled on his pant leg furiously.

The bookie and Rickon argued for minutes before Rickon flashed the fifty in front of the man. The bookie finally relented as he barked at the young boy.

“All right! Fine kid. What are you betting? You think that Jon Snow is going to win? You want to throw away your money? Fine then!”

Rickon shook his head as he gave the bookie a serious stare.

“No. I’m putty fifty on Code Blue. He’s going to buck off my brother in less than 4 seconds and I’m thinking he’s putting up a 48-point bull score.”

The bookie stared down at him.

“That’s a _very_ specific bet right there.”

Rickon nodded.

“You realize that it needs to go down exactly as you say for you to win…right kid?”

“Obviously.”

“…How old are you?”

“Eleven” Rickon responded cheekily.

“All right…well. If you win then the payout will be 5 grand. _IF_ you win. I doubt you’ll hit the mark perfectly with the stakes you put. And there’s no semi wins. Either the ride goes down as you say or you lose. Got that?”

Rickon nodded.

The bookie looked satisfied as he reached out for the fifty before pausing.

“Hold on a second” the bookie said, “did you say Jon Snow is your brother?”

Rickon raised a confused eyebrow.

“Yeah. He’s my older brother. Why?”

“Wait. He’s your older brother? And you’re betting against him?”

Rickon gave the man a serious stare.

“My brother is good. But Code Blue is the best. You hear me? _THE BEST._ ”

The bookie took the money slowly as he gave the boy a deadpan stare.

“You’re a cold little bastard, you know that?”

Rickon only smiled cutely as he turned his head over to the jumbotron.

“I’m going to wait here and make sure you don’t skimp out on me” he told the man.

The bookie only shook his head at the ridiculousness of the placed bet.

-

The gate opened and Jon held firmly onto the bull’s sides with his spurs. He dug his feet in as Code Blue blasted out.

Jon kept his hand firmly closed as Code Blue spun right.

Code Blue spun quickly and with a powerful kick. Jon couldn’t keep a hold.

He was flung off from the side and Jon landed on his feet at the dismount. He sprinted towards the chute where he had left from and jumped onto the bars. Grenn gave him a comforting pat as Rhaegar smirked at him.

Daenerys gave him a small smile as she bore into his grey eyes with her violet ones.

“That’s it, folks. No Score. Code Blue remains unridden. The buck off time was 3.49 seconds. Let me get these scores coming in for the bull…”

Jon gave a smile to his friends and a nod towards Daenerys as he climbed over. Rhaegar looked at him strangely due to the gesture towards his sister, but Jon turned around to receive his bull rope from one of the bull fighters.

“Ladies and gentlemen…Forty-Eight points! The best bull score of the night!”

Grenn gave him another pat and Jon gave him a small smile in return. Even if he felt hollow as he made his way to accept the prized buckle and money from the event, Jon still felt good about himself.

Somewhere in the crowd, a young boy with greyish blue eyes was celebrating, over a shocked bookie, at his brother’s misfortune.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if I've mentioned this but a bull fighter is just the guys that protect the riders from the bulls after the ride is over. 
> 
> Smut incoming next chapter ;)


	8. Cheeseburgers and Coke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not a summary but I wanted to let everyone know as to why Jon won the tournament even after he was kinda going downhill. Jon practically spent all his strength and willpower on Big Bucks and barely went through. Also, winning the coin toss helped. Seeing Drogo ride first and get bucked off so early helped Jon in his ride against Bruiser. If Jon had ridden first, he may not have done so well.
> 
> Code Blue is just too good. NO ONE is riding this bull after 5 other rides in the same night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll edit the grammar later...eventually...maybe.

“Rookie of the Year! Dark horse at Stonehelm. And now the Iron Cowboy that’s two-hundred and fifty grand richer!”

Beers flew and spilled in the air as the riders around Jon toasted his victory just an hour earlier.

He was surrounded by his sponsor mates, along with Grenn and Podrick. Robb had wanted to join them, but Catelyn had all but ordered him to join them for their last dinner before they headed back to winterfell. Eddard had invited Jon, but the outcast of the family decided he’d rather celebrate the night with his friends instead.

Jon rememvered the satisfied faces on Catelyn and Sansa, but he mainly remembered the tear-stained face of his brother’s. He remembered the sharp look on his father’s face as he ordered Rickon to tell Jon why he was in trouble.

Jon was still chuckling at the explanation his brother had given him.

_“I’m sorry Jon! I love you but Code Blue is the best! You weren’t ever going to ride him after going through 5 different rounds!”_

What a little tramp. Still, Jon loved the little tramp.

Suddenly, Grenn clapped him on his shoulder and brought Jon out of his thoughts.

“Come on, Snow! We’re here to celebrate!” Grenn turned to the bartender. “Hey! Friend! Bring the strongest tequila you have. My brother here is leaving here shit faced!”

Jon quickly put that idea to bed with a fervent shake of his head.

“No! Bartender, no! Just get me a beer and I’ll be fine for the night. Dos Equis.”

The bartender nodded, reaching into the cooler to retrieve one.

Jon saw Grenn pout and mutter “spoilsport” under his breath as the barkeep slid a bottle over to him.

Jon took a sip of his beer, laughing with the men around him.

-

They had been drinking for nearly an hour now, all of Jon’s friend considerably more on the way to being completely inebriated than he was. Jon only felt a slight buzz and decided that he’d had enough for the night. He didn’t plan on waking up with a pounding headache as his reward for winning two-hundred and fifty thousand.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on the back of his shirt, and Jon turned to come face to face with the woman that seemed to always be at the right place at the right time with him.

“I was wondering if you’d ever show. You always seem to sneak up on me” Jon told her.

He gave her a small smile as he began to make his way over to one of the booths in the bar.

“Join me?” He asked her.

“Aren’t you a romantic” Daenerys said.

She eyed him and allowed him to grab her hand to lead her to the booth he chose. She didn’t need any help sitting down, but she didn’t protest when he aided her.

He sat directly across from her.

“How long have you been here?” He was curious.

“Just got here” she replied honestly.

He nodded as he believed her immediately.

“Doesn’t surprise me. Like I said, you’re always in the right place for some reason.”

“I promise…I’m not stalking you.”

She looked him straight in the eyes as she told him, but a blush spread across her cheeks.

“I’ll choose to believe you” Jon laughed.

A waitress saw them take their seats and approached them. Jon and Daenerys both ordered a coke with light ice as their drink and the waitress walked off towards the soda machine.

“Coke again? I thought I smelled a bit of beer on your breath. Calling it an early night, cowboy?”

“I’ll have you know that I only drank a bit because I need to drive back to the hotel…”

His voice trailed off at her incredulous face and he realized how ridiculously dangerous his statement sounded.

“I hope you’ll forgive me for dragging out this night and keeping you, but I think I might need a while before I’m confident on my feet.”

She shook her head with a sigh at his confession but it wasn’t in frustration or disappointment. It almost sounded…happy?

Their waitress came back with their drinks and asked if they were ready to order. Both of them had decided that a simple cheeseburger with fries would be enough for the night.

-

Their cheeseburgers had arrived just shortly after they’d ordered them and both had struck up and easygoing conversation.

“Let me get this straight” Jon said, “you forced your brother to sell you three bulls of your choosing?”

Daenerys nodded with a slight chuckle over her half eaten burger.

“Yes! I admit I was a bit of a brat. Gosh, it’s almost embarrassing to admit that I threw a tantrum at my brother when I was already 15…”

He snorted at her blushing face. She was avoiding eye contact with him as she instead chose to grab a few of her fries and place them between the meat and bun of her burger.

“Don’t feel too bad, I’m sure every girl has thrown a tantrum into their teenage years.”

“Stop!”

He laughed, holding up a hand in concession.

Then, the conversation took a turn.

“So…” she started, “are you seeing anyone?”

Jon choked on his coke. He gasped before he coughed and caught his breath a tiny bit.

“I’m sorry?” He managed to say.

“Are you seeing anyone?” She asked again. He noticed that her face remained impassive, but he could see the desperation behind her eyes. “Gods, I didn’t even think to ask before I groped you today…”

She buried her head in her hands as she shrunk in her seat. His heart hurt for the girl’s embarrassment.

“I’m not” he clarified and she looked up with a hopefully look in her eye. “I haven’t dated anyone since-”

“Since Val?”

He looked up at her in confusion and she widened her eyes.

“How-…how did you know about me and Val? We never came out publicly…”

“I heard you two arguing last season. It was right after the season ended and you became the rookie of the year…”

He nodded and he waived her off from saying anymore.

He remembered that day quite well. He wanted to say that he no longer felt anything for the wild spirited girl, but there was still a part of him that burned at the way things had ended.

“Did you mean what you said back then?” She asked him.

He looked up to her and enquired as to what she meant.

“When you two were arguing…you said that you wouldn’t leave the young boys out to dry. You said that you promised them that you would teach them how to ride for a bit.”

“Oh! That! Yeah…I was being serious with her. Val always did like things her way. Then again that’s always been my luck with women.”

She stayed quiet at that and she took a sip of her drink. Jon felt that he needed to break the newfound tension.

“And you? No past relationships gone sour?”

She pursed her lips cutely as she thought, and Jon had to swallow down the saliva in his throat at the sight of her plump lips.

Finally, she looked at him and shook her head with a slight shrug of her shoulders.

“I don’t recall of any that ended badly, if I’m being honest.”

Jon hummed at her response.

“So, how would you describe Daario Naharis and his relation to you?”

She stared at him.

“What do you mean?”

“What I said” he told her cheekily, avoiding her eyes as he picked through his fries. “I’m just saying that he seems to have this…ownership over you.”

She gave him a dark gaze.

“ _Nobody_ owns me” she hissed.

Jon put up his hands in surrender.

“I didn’t mean that he did. Just that _he_ thinks you belong to him. I have no doubt that you don’t need somebody like him.”

She twirled the straw in her coke as a dark look came over her eyes. She gave him a small smirk and Jon wished that he had just kept his eyes on his damn burger.

“So…who do I need if not someone like Daario?”

She crossed her arms over the table and she leaned over, giving Jon another nice view of her cleavage.

“I-I didn’t mean you needed anybody. Just…that he told me to stay away from you so I thought you were already taken. That’s all.”

“Hmm. Well, Daario’s been after me for a good year now but I’ve never once given him the inclination that anything serious would come from us.”

He hummed at her response.

“So…nothing serious? Then have you…”

“Fucked him?” She cut in.

He laughed at her bluntness.

“Yeah, in layman’s terms.”

“A couple of times” she nodded.

“Ah, that explains it I guess…”

“Explains what?”

“Why he’s so possessive. Must have rocked his world if he wanted me to stay away.”

She nodded.

“Drogo” Jon continued and he saw her tense. “Anything there?”

“What makes you think that?”

“Just something a friend of mine pointed out. Your best three bulls and two of them are named after your brothers. I’m assuming you’re close to them but your best bull has a similar name to the world number one.”

She looked away from him, staring at the other people in the bar. He didn’t pressure her to answer him. Either she’d be honest with him, or she wouldn’t.

Finally, she looked at him with shame written all over her face.

“I was a stupid girl. 17 and I thought Drogo was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. I…knew that Rhaegar would never allow it, but I was stubborn and I ended up giving my first to Drogo. He promised me things I was happy to hear but Rhaegar found out. And that was the end of me and Drogo. At least intimately. I wanted to rebel against my brother so I still hang out with him when I can.”

“Your brother have you under tight watch?”

She nodded.

“Still, I love him. He does what he thinks its best but it becomes overbearing at times. He can’t tell me who I can or can’t fuck anymore. But he sure as hell tries to influence men away from me using outside means.”

“So you’ve been interested in other men before?”

She stared at him.

“Do you think any less of me” she asked him.

“Sorry?”

“Do you think me a floozy? A whore? A slut?”

Jon laughed.

“Sure…if it was the damn year of 300 AC.”

Jon began to chuckle at her angry face.

“It’s not funny” she hissed at him.

“Of course it is. You want me to think less of you because you’ve had sex? If you’re a whore because you’ve had sex with two people, that I know of, then I’m just as guilty.”

“Why” she asked quickly, “who have you had sex with?”

“Well…there was Val, of course. Then there was Ygritte.”

“Ygritte? Who’s that?”

He stared at her as she interrupted him once again.

“Ygritte? She was my first. I was…15 and she was 19. Father wasn’t happy when he found out and neither was Mom. I think that was the first time I’d ever seen my Mom look at me with such anger.”

She tapped her finger on the table and smiled at his explanation of the events from back then.

“Anyways…she was my first. Then I didn’t have sex until Val.”

She reached over the table and playfully shoved him.

“No way! You must have bagged other girls.”

He smiled softly before leaning over the table. He noticed the way her eyes moved down his face and back up to his eyes.

“Can you keep a secret?” He asked her.

She only nodded slowly.

“Don’t tell Quentyn, but I might have slept with his sister, Arianna, a few times after my breakup with Val.”

“How much is a few?” She whispered.

Jon smirked as he licked his lips.

“I might have abused the free time I had with her after the season ended in October and before the season started in January.”

“You must have had a lot of free time…”

Jon smiled as he leaned back, discarding his straw and downing the rest of his coke. Exaggerating the freshness of the drink, Jon stretched his neck out before he pulled out his truck keys.

“I’m about fine now, I think. I’m about ready to get back to the hotel…”

She looked disappointed but nodded her head.

Taking out his wallet and pulling out a few bills, Jon paid for the meal by leaving the total, plus a tip, on the table.

“How did you get here?”

“Uber” she answered, “I never drive my car to the bar in case I change my mind and feel like drinking.”

Jon nodded at her intelligent awareness. She certainly thought more ahead than he did.

“If you feel comfortable with my…subsided buzz after an hour…then I can give you a ride.”

She gave him a large smile as she nodded her response. They walked out into the warm night of March in Summerhall. The temperature had certainly gotten cooler but it was still a bit too warm for Jon’s preference.

Deciding to take the initiative, Jon wrapped an arm over Daenerys’ shoulder and led her to the passenger door of his F-150, opening the door for her lest his mother find out and smack him for his lack of manners.

Perhaps he still had a buzz from his earlier drinking, yes, that must have been it, but Jon gripped her from her rear; and Daenerys yelped as he lifted her onto the passenger seat. He continued to hold her, her left cheek held firmly in his left hand, and he pulled her face down with his right hand for a swift kiss.

“You taste like cheeseburgers and coke” he hummed. “I love cheeseburgers and coke.”

-

“What floor are you on?” Jon asked her.

“7th floor. Why?”

He looked at her.

“I’m on the 4th floor.”

“And?”

“I hope you don’t mind spending the night in my room…”

“It’s only 3 floors, Jon.”

He smiled as the elevator doors to his floor opened.

“It’s gonna feel like a hundred.”

Giving her no time to respond, Jon pulled her by her waist and led them to his room. He opened the door for her and she slowly walked in.

He walked just as slowly after her and placed his keys and wallet on the desk closest to the door.

The room was elegant but simple. White walls with oak furniture around the room. A large flat screen tv mounted directly across from the white sheeted King-sized bed. There was single green plant located in the corner of the room and two large glass doors led out to the balcony of the room.

Everything was bigger in Summerhall, he guessed.

Daenerys turned on her heel and walked slowly towards him. She didn’t stop until she was a few inches away from him and Jon slightly bent his head in order to meet her eyes.

“You’re not wearing your usual cologne” she whispered.

“How do you know it’s my usual?” he whispered back.

“You’ve been wearing it since the season started…”

Their lips were practically millimeters away.

“I guess you didn’t just suddenly become my admirer at Stonehelm…”

She shook her head slightly as she smiled.

“I’ve been thinking about you since you told your ex you were going to help those young boys…”

“Then you have me at a disadvantage… Sorry about the new fragrance. Another gift from my mom.”

“And?”

“Eros, by Versace. Much more affordable. My daily driver now…”

“Mmm” she hummed. “I still prefer the Chanel.”

She cupped him, just as she had done behind the chutes. Not to be outdone, Jon gripped her waist with his left hand and travelled his right hand down to her left cheek.

She whimpered when he squeezed, and began to rub him through his jeans.

“I’ll wear it more then…” he whispered.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to…”

“Alright then, Miss Targaryen. I guess I’ll just…figure it out…”

He leaned down and took her lips within his own, eliciting a moan from her sweet mouth. She still tasted like coke, and Jon growled in his throat when she became more aggressive with his package in her caress.

He broke their kiss in order to allow air into his system, and she took advantage by nibbling on his jaw. His beard must have tickled her tongue, but it never stopped her from suck and licking him within her teeth.

He had become fully erect early into their kiss but the strain was beginning to become unbearable. So, he moved his jaw away from her teeth, crashed his lips down onto hers, and moved the hand on her waist down onto her rear in order to pick her up.

Daenerys had lost her grip on him when he lifted her, so she ran both of her hands through his hair and wrapped her legs around him as he walked over towards the bed. He lifted a knee to the edge of the bed and laid her gently onto the soft mattress. He felt her hands slide down from his hair and down his shoulders, and down towards the buttons of his shirt.

Jon mirrored his lover’s movements…somewhat. His hands found the two edges where her shirt met and he pulled them roughly apart, sending buttons flying off as he exposed her bare chest to the cool air of the hotel room.

He heard her whimper as she struggled with his shirt buttons and he shook his head fondly at her desperation to expose him. Helping her with the rest of her task, Jon shrugged off his shirt and pulled Daenerys up by her waist in order to pull her ruined flannel shirt off as well.

She tried to renew their kiss, but Jon angled his head as he latched onto the pulse of her neck. Her breathing quickened as he sucked and licked at her pulse point, dragging her nails when he softly blew cool air onto the hot trail of saliva he had left.

He knew that she felt vulnerable at his assault because she began to do the only possible thing she could do. She started to rub herself against his entrapped cock, and Jon had to pause his love bites as she rolled her hips on him.

No longer being able to take the torture, Jon pushed Daenerys off himself and stood up from the bed in order to undo the button and fly of his jeans. Kicking his boots off first, Jon then grabbed the hem of his boxer briefs and jeans to pull both articles of clothing off. His aching length sprang free from its constraints and he saw his little princess rub her thighs together.

However, he also noticed that she was still wearing her own jeans. That simply wouldn’t do, but he wouldn’t rush his movements. He bit back a hiss as the head of his length rubbed against the rough fabric of her jeans, Jon crawled up her body and planted butterfly kisses starting at her stomach. He moved up and felt her fingers thread through his hair when he reached the underside of her breasts.

“Jon…please” she whimpered.

He moved back down towards her navel…and trailed a long wet lick up to the valley between her breasts. He thought about continuing his long lick to her collarbone, but his excitement won out and he latched his warm mouth around one of her nipples, using his hand to cup her other breast.

Soft mewls escaped her mouth when he wagged his tongue against her peak and used a thumb to fiddle with her other. When he was satisfied with his work with one breast, Jon moved his head to her other. Instead of latching immediately onto her, flicked her nipple with his tongue before biting it softly between his teeth.

She cried out when he pulled his head back and pushed him off. He saw her body flush and he knew she had reached her peak. His cock twitched at the sight of her writhing on his bed sheets. She must have wanted him something bad if she had orgasmed without him going anywhere near her core.

“Shh” he cooed.

She began to whimper when she felt his hands run down from her waist and towards the waistline of her jeans. He moved his hands to the button and expertly undid them.

The only thought on his mind was to immediately devour her as soon as he pulled her jeans and panties off her. However, instead she had pushed him off of her and she stood up pulling him into a sitting position on the edge of the bed.

Kneeling down onto both knees, she grasped Jon’s length within her right hand. He hissed when she began to slowly stroke him and she licked her lips at the sight of his glistening head. Jon placed a hand on the back of Daenerys’ head and she took it as a sign to take him into her mouth.

His eyes rolled to the back of his head at the feeling of her warm mouth around him and Jon placed a desperate hand on the bed for stability when she began to bob her head up and down. It was sin at how well she used that mouth of hers to pleasure him. Her tongue wrapped around him and he felt as if the air would leave his body when she maintained eye contact throughout the entire time she blew him.

His cock began to twitch in her mouth and Jon panicked when he felt her begin to slide him out of her mouth. So, he dug his right hand into the back of her head and grabbed a fistful of her silver hair as he pushed her head back down onto him. She closed her eyes and her gags only caused him to thrust upwards, inching his length further and further into her throat.

“Fuck” he groaned, spurting his seeds into her mouth.

She raked her nails onto his abs and she released him from her orifice with a wet pop, his seed spilling down from the corner of her mouth and a trail of saliva leading from the head of his length.

She gave him a lust filled smile as stroked him once more and kissed the side of his length before she began to crawl up to his mouth.

He tasted himself when crashed her lips onto him. She demanded entry to his mouth with her tongue and Jon was more than willing to let her have her small victory. But he soon flipped her onto the mattress and Jon broke the kiss as he trailed more butterfly kissed down her body.

He felt her rise in anticipation when he neared the top of her slit, but Jon skimmed over her and spread her legs wide in order to plant kissed on the inside of her thighs.

“Don’t tease me” she begged.

_I’ll tease you if I want to._

Biting the inside of her thigh, Jon forced a cry from her mouth.

When he was satisfied with her “punishment”, Jon had begun to kiss towards her center. He felt her breathing become erratic when he lazed his kisses on the outside of her lips, and she jerked when teased her opening with his index finger.

“Please, Jon…”

He wanted to prolong from latching onto her, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to it as much as she seemingly was.

He didn’t waste another second as he latched his mouth onto her core after spreading her folds with two of his fingers. She moaned, reveling in her fervor as his tongue swiped up and down her entrance.

Using his thumb to expose her pearl, Jon blew cool air onto her small bundle of nerves but never latched onto it. Not yet.

Isolating one of her folds by itself, Jon took the flesh within his mouth and gently sucked on it between his teeth.

“Oh…fuck” she sobbed.

He repeated the same motion with her other fold, and he feared that she might scalp him when she dug her fingers roughly into his hair. Satisfied with his work, Jon turned his attention to the pearl filled with nerves at the top of her slit.

Jon pulled the fleshy hood the covered her clit and pressed his tongue gently onto the small nub. Daenerys’ leg began to wrap around his head, and she massaged his back aggressively with the heel of her foot.

Taking his mouth off of her, Jon wet his thumb with his saliva and replaced the attention on her clit with it. Moving down to her entrance, Jon took her within his mouth and shoved his tongue inside her. She writhed and shook beneath him, but Jon only focused on drinking her honey that continued to flow into his mouth.

Her breathing became hard and ragged, and she whispered foreign things under her breath. Jon knew she was close, so he stopped his assault and climbed up to her in order to silence her protests with his mouth.

Their kiss lasted only a few moments before Jon became impatient and rubbed his length against her. She hissed as she felt his tip graze her entrance and Jon smiled against her mouth. He planned to take her right then and there, but his lover had used all her strength to roll him onto his back. Jon sat up slightly and she placed her hands on his shoulders for stability. Putting her forehead onto his own, Daenerys reached down and guided the head of his length to her entrance.

Half lidded violet eyes met with dark iron grey and they did not tear apart from one another, even as he slid slowly into her wet heat.

They moved with one another; she rolled her hips on him as he thrusted into her. Jon wrapped an arm around her waist and caressed her face with his other hand. Daenerys pressed her chest to him and ran her fingers through his curly and cropped hair, moaning as his pace quickened.

He was entranced with her. Captivated by her eyes and beauty. He felt his peak building and Jon found it only prudent to let her know.

“I’m close…” he whispered.

“Me too…” she replied.

Jon quickened his pace and his mouth found her throat as she moaned out his name, both of the reaching their climax at the same time.

-

It was morning. The warm light of the morning sun entered the space of Jon’s hotel room.

Both Daenerys and he woke up mere moments before but they stared at one another with raw emotion in their eyes.

She caressed his lightly bearded face with her dainty fingers and Jon rubbed the small of her back under the stained bed sheets.

“That was amazing” Daenerys whispered, finally breaking the silence of their morning.

“You were amazing” he responded.

She smiled at him.

“I don’t want this to ever end…”

“I’ll follow your lead” he whispered.

“My brother won’t ever let us be together” she told him.

Jon frowned at her words.

“Then do you want to stop this?”

She shook her head.

“No…never.”

“But you don’t want him to know…”

“Yes.”

Jon nodded at her. Rhaegar Targaryen was definitely a man one didn’t want to get on the wrong side of. Amicable. Respectful. But not forgiving.

“Will he really hate me that much?” he felt the need to ask.

“He wants me to marry someone of his choosing.”

“You want to marry me?”

Jon was taken aback by her statement. He thought that they would take it slow at first, getting a feel for their relationship before diving straight in.

“Don’t you want to marry me?” she asked him.

Jon smiled at her.

“I think I’d like that. I don’t think my mom would be against it.”

She smiled shyly at him.

“You think so?”

He leaned in and gave her a light kiss.

“I know it…”

She smiled genuinely at him before a sad smile crossed her face and eyes.

“We’ll need to be discreet…”

“I’d rather be public right now…”

“I don’t want to lose you…”

“You won’t” he assured her.

“You don’t know Rhaegar…”

“And he doesn’t know me.”

She smiled at his stubbornness.

“I’ll win the finals”

Daenerys’ eyes widened in shock.

“What?” she whispered slightly louder than before.

“I said I’ll win the finals. If not…then I’ll at least ride Code Blue. If I do that, then you’ll brother will have to accept me.”

She simply stared at him before she crashed her lips passionately onto his.

“Even if he says no,” she said when she broke away, “I’ll marry you. Even if you don’t win the finals or ride Code Blue.”

Jon smiled at her and touched her forehead to his.

“I’ll win the finals…and I’ll ride that damn bull.”

“How much time do we have left?”

He smiled at her.

“Enough.”

He rolled on top of his newfound lover and raised her leg over his shoulder.

When they kissed during their connection, Jon found that she still tasted like coke.


	9. Author's Note

I'm sorry to say that this story is abandoned. At the time it was nothing more than a crack fic that I was writing for fun after the terrible events of Season 8. If you enjoyed this story, then I'm sorry. I truly wish I could have kept on going, but as they say, "The well is dry".   
  
I will be leaving this on a separate account as I don't feel it right to have it on my main account due to it not being updated anymore.   
  
Now, it's not to say that I didn't enjoy this story. I did. Hell, it was awesome getting back into bull riding for a bit; not to mention writing bull riding with Jonerys. And though it may not seem like it, I put loads of effort into this fic. Truly, I did. All the edits I made for the chapters. The moodboards. The event brackets. Let me tell you, editing the event brackets for Iron Cowboy was a PAIN. Not to mention that this story was truly the first time I took a crack at smut. 

Now, if the reasoning that this was simply a crack fic wasn't enough for some of you to as to why I lost motivation then I suppose a more valid reason would be that I simply don't have the time to write this anymore. I have many stories that I plan on writing or updating.

-Striped Carnations chapter 2 (yes, that will be coming. My hallmark fic followed by possibly a Christmas Hallmark fic.)

-I have currently two Jonerys one shots planned

-A rare pairing fic that looks into the insight of Jon as the victim of grooming (Jon/Rhaella)

 

And of course, I need to update the two stories that started my career on this site.

-A Dragon Will Take Us Home and The Hitman and the Dragon. (Yes, I have not forgotten these two stories.)

 

So, with that said. Sayonara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the fans of this story will stick through to read my other fics.


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